Chris Jones channeled Kobe Bryant on clutch Super Bowl play for the Chiefs

Following the Chiefs’ 17-10 win Sunday over the Chargers at SoFi Stadium, CBS Sports reporter Tracy Wolfson said it wasn’t too early to talk about Chris Jones as the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year.

“I think the DPOY conversation should be started,” she wrote on X. “Chris Jones has never won it. And while he told me he would take super bowls over individual awards anytime, this could be his year!”

Jones has caused headaches for opposing offenses this season. Through four games, he has three sacks, three tackles for loss and six quarterback hits.

While on “The Rich Eisen Show,” Jones was asked Wednesday if he considered himself to be the quarterback of the Chiefs defense.

“I think I have a huge responsibility on this team and also this defense,” Jones said. “I hold myself to a high regard, as in setting an example of how to lead. I actually enjoy those moments when it comes, whether it’s fourth down, whether it’s a critical situation. I train throughout the offseason for those moments, so when they come, it’s more so natural for me, and I enjoy being in that position.

“I listen to a lot of Kobe Bryant and he just talks about certain moments you view certain things, and certain moments, you can kind of ... pick what it is, and you kind of get an extra boost of energy. You know, Kobe, talked about the fourth quarter. ... I associate the fourth quarter with, like, the third down, the fourth downs, critical situations where that Mamba Mentality is coming about for me.”

Eisen asked if that came to play in the Chiefs’ 25-22 win over San Francisco in Super Bowl LVIII.

After winning the coin toss and surprising Patrick Mahomes and nearly everyone watching, the 49ers took the opening drive of overtime and drove inside the Chiefs’ 10-yard line.

On third-and-4 from the 8-yard line, San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy was forced into an errant throw thanks to a clutch play by Jones. The 49ers had to settle for a field goal. Mahomes then directed a touchdown drive to win the game.

Were the words of Bryant, who died in 2020, going through Jones’ head, Eisen asked.

“I was on the sideline the play before that. I was dead tired,” Jones said. “And (coach) Andy Reid looked at me and was like, ‘We need you to go in.’ And during that moment, I had like a Kobe moment. I was like, Kobe was like, ‘Rest later. Don’t rest now. Rest when you’re done with the process.’ And I’m like, ‘I’ve got to do it.’”

“Yeah,” Jones said, “it was a Kobe thing.”

Here is the discussion with Eisen.