The Kansas City Chiefs are AFC champions for the second consecutive season and fourth time in the last five years.
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones was a significant reason for the team’s success this year and during the championship run. During Sunday’s postgame press conference after the win over the Baltimore Ravens, he took some time to honor his teammates and defensive coaches for their work to help make the unit a success, campaigning for them to be awarded for their efforts.
“I still think Spags (Steve Spagnuolo) should be up for Assistant Coach of the Year,” Jones said. “I mean, what has [he] been able to do with this defense from last year to this year? And how he was able to overcome a lot of humps, how he was able to force a lot of guys to grow. You look at last year. We gave up a lot of big plays and came back this year.”
Spagnuolo was snubbed as a nominee for the Assistant Coach of the Year Award, presented annually by the Associated Press. This year’s nominees are Ben Johnson (Detroit Lions), Mike Macdonald (Baltimore Ravens), Todd Monken (Baltimore Ravens), Jim Schwartz (Cleveland Browns) and Bobby Slowik (Houston Texans). The winner will be announced at the NFL Honors award ceremony in Las Vegas during Super Bowl weekend.
“I’ll say right now L’Jarius Sneed had an All-Pro year, should have been All-Pro … 22 (Trent McDuffie) had an All-Pro year, and we can go on down the list,” Jones said. “Those guys set the standard on the back end. And we just continue helping with Joe Cullen on the front end.”
Sneed’s hit that forced Zay Flowers to fumble at the goal line was a game-changing moment in Sunday’s victory, while McDuffie silenced Odell Beckham Jr. for most of the game. Sneed and McDuffie both proved their case for more respect around the league.