Chiefs Players Share Thoughts on Matchup vs. Lions, Chris Jones Situation
Justin Reid, Nick Bolton, and Patrick Mahomes give thoughts on matchup vs. Lions, and the Chris Jones situation
Craig McMullen
The Chiefs are three days away from kicking off the 2023 regular season against the Detroit Lions at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium and start their journey to back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
Safety Justin Reid is going into his second year with the Chiefs and said that going back-to-back is going to be challenging. He said that everyone is focused on this week and taking one week at a time knowing every team is going to give them their best shot.
“I probably won’t even be able to see the banner go up,” Reid said. “I will be focused on getting prepared for the game and focus on this season. What we did last year was great and that won’t help us win a football game this year. It just puts a bigger target on our back and we are going to get everybody’s best shot.”
The Lions fell short of making the 2022 playoffs and throughout the offseason have made additions to their offense to help quarterback Jared Goff going into the 2023 season. Along with wide receivers Amon-Ra St.Brown, Jameson Williams, and Marvin Jone Jr. - the Lions added running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta in the 2023 NFL draft.
Reid said that he talked to some players in New York that had joint practice with the Lions during training camp and have expressed that they are impressed with what they have seen from Gibbs.
“I like the rookie Jahmyr Gibbs that they just brought in, Reid said. “I know some guys in New York that did the joint practice with the Lions and had a lot of good things to say about Gibbs and how explosive he is. Coach Dan Campbell does a great job and you can see that in their mentality that they want to be a physical football team and we want to go out there and match that.”
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes gave his thoughts after practice on preparing for week one.
“This offensive coordinator is game - plan specific,” Mahomes said. “When he has time to study a team, he does a good job with scheming up different coverages. We have to have a good understanding of that. Being able to recognize the wrinkles on the sidelines fast, make adjustments and continue to play. It’s going to be a fight.”
It was another day without defensive end Chris Jones participating in team actives as he continues his holdout for a new contract extension. Bolton says that the guys that don’t get much playing time are excited to go out there and show what they can do.
“Throughout training camp we were able to get young guys reps,” Bolton said. “The guys we have here are excited for this opportunity. A lot of guys that don’t get much playing time when Chris is here get the opportunity. We can’t wait for when Chris gets here but the guys we got are the guys we got and we are going to try and go out there and dominate week one.”
Reid said that they are treating the Jones situation like an injury. When someone is down, that player behind him has to step up and help the team get a win.
“It’s the same thing as if a guy got hurt in the middle of the season,” Reid noted. “The situation is what it is. Chris is one of the best players in the NFL but at the end of the day we’re going to have to roll with the guys that we got. If I were to go down, or if Nick (Bolton) was to go down, there’s somebody that has to step up and go play their best football and find a way to get a win.”
Mahomes said that he is confident in the entire team to take the next step into the regular season with or without Jones.
“I know they’ve been working their tail off and are excited to showcase what they have. Taking that next step into the regular season is big, and its not always going to be perfect but it’s how are you going to battle throughout the entire game.”
