PLAYER: Chris Jones.
COLLEGE: Mississippi State.
TEAM: Kansas City Chiefs.
POSITION: Defensive tackle.
HEIGHT: 6-6.
WEIGHT: 298.
DRAFT: Round 2, 37, 2016
2022 STATS: 44 tackles, 15.5 sacks, 2 fumbles forced, 1 recovered, 4 passes defensed, 5.5 stops for loss.
From David Tyree’s “Helmet Catch” to Malcolm Butler’s goal line interception, the Super Bowl is rife with stories of “B List” players who had a huge impact on the Super Bowl.
Tyree, of course, caught a 32-yard pass of his helmet with 59 seconds left that set up the Giants’ winning touchdown in a 17-14 upset of the undefeated Patriots. Tyree, a former sixth-round pick, had four receptions for 35 yards with no touchdowns during the regular season. He had three catches for 43 yards and one touchdown in Super Bowl XLII.
Butler had signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of West Alabama in 2014. His pick of a Russell Wilson pass with 20 seconds left in Super Bowl XLIX secured New England’s 28-24 win over the Seahawks. It was the first pick of Butler’s career. He became a starter the next season.
With Super Bowl LVII just days away, who will emerge as the unexpected star?
This is the third in a BetBasics.com series intended to find the player worth a Super Bowl parlay, or dare we say, an MVP trophy bet.
The Philadelphia Eagles front four – what should we call it, The Philly Special Sackers? – has been the most powerful defensive force in the NFL Playoffs.
With defensive ends Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat wreaking havoc on quarterbacks from the outside while Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave blow up the inside, the Eagles led the league with 70 sacks this season. There has been no letup in the postseason. Philly has gotten to the quarterback eight times while allowing just seven points per game.
But when the Eagles and Chiefs meet in Super Bowl LVII, the best defensive lineman in the postseason won’t be wearing green and white.
Kansas City tackle Chris Jones has been a game-wrecker.
His performance in the AFC Championship game was relentlessly dominant – four tackles, two sacks, one tackle for loss while leading a unit that held the Bengals to just 42 yards rushing (2.1 yards per carry).
“He set the tone,” teammate Frank Clark told reporters. “He finished the game. Christopher Jones. He did his thing. Chris Jones — the most unstoppable man in football.”
He has been unstoppable. As good as the Eagles O-Line is, it will have to play its best game of the postseason against The Most Unstoppable Man in Football. With the Bengals unable to get any semblance of a run game going, Cincy QB Joe Burrow was under constant pressure. He was sacked five times and intercepted twice.
“He’s so good,” Burrow told reporters about Jones. “He makes it so hard on you. He’s so big, strong and physical. He really understands what you’re trying to do to him up front.”
All those attributes will be key against an Eagles offense that set an NFL record with 39 rushing touchdowns, breaking the Packers 1962 record of 37. Defenses must commit to stopping this run-heavy attack but also must get pressure on QB Jalen Hurts or he’ll have a field day with receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith.
A defensive tackle hasn’t won MVP honors since Super Bowl XII when defensive end Harvey Martin and tackle Randy White led a Dallas defense that forced eight turnovers in a 27-10 win over the Broncos. Just mentioning Jones and the Hall of Famer White in the same sentence is a compliment to the Chiefs star.
Jones is +4000 to win Super Bowl honors, tying him with Eagles outside linebacker Hassan Reddick as the two defensive favorites to snag the honor. Pass rushers have won the award three times – Harvey, Richard Dent and Von Miller. It will take a monumental effort by Jones, something he’s capable of turning in.
We got +600 at PointsBet on Jones recording the first sack of the game. With a $50 stake the payout is $300, meaning we would net $250.