Tag: Chandler Jones

Cardinals teammates, coaches stump for Chandler Jones as Defensive Player of the Year

Both players and coaches believe Jones is clearly the best defensive player in the league this season.

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Arizona Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones has put together quite a season through 15 games. With 19 sacks and eight forced fumbles, including two four-sack games, he is a candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year.

Perhaps because he hasn’t gotten the attention or notoriety, he has coaches and players stumping for him to win it.

It has been both in word and in social media.

Some teammates have given their takes on social media.

Larry Fitzgerald was asked about it on Thursday by reporters. He feels the decision is obvious, although he recognizes the phenomenal seasons of cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore of the New England Patriots and Tre’Davious White of the Buffalo Bills.

“Both those guys, their teams are going to the playoffs, but I don’t think anybody’s been more dominant than Chander,” he said.

“What Chandler’s done is unbelievable,” he said, “To be on a five-win team and do what he has done is unbelievable.”

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph believes Jones should be a lock for the award if he does one thing.

“What he’s done is incredible,” he told reporters Thursday. “He’s doing it, if he gets one or two (sacks) this week, in my opinion, he’s the guy. It’s the best player on defense award, not the team award.”

He was on the Houston Texans coaching staff with J.J. Watt had 20 sacks and won the award. It was a special season, he said.

“If he gets 20 sacks, that’s rare air and that’s NFL history,” he said. “He should be player of the year.”

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 253:

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Chandler Jones is Defensive Player of the Week for 2nd time in 2019

He is the second Cardinals player ever to win two weekly defensive honors in the same season.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones is making a case this season to be the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. He helps his case with his second Defensive Player of the Week honors.

The team announced he earned the honors for his play in Week 16.

Against the Seattle Seahawks in a 27-13 win, he had six tackles (two for loss), four sacks, two forced fumbles and six quarterback hits.

The four sacks and two QB hits were a career-high. It was the second time this season he had four sacks in a game. He became only the third player in NFL history to have two four-sack games in a season. Karl Mecklenburg did it in 1985 and Reggie White did it in 1986.

He was also Defensive Player of the Week after Week 7 when he had his first four-sack game. It is the fourth time a Cardinals player has been named a player of the week. Kyler Murray earned offensive honors after Week 6. Patrick Peterson earned defensive honors last week after his play against the Cleveland Browns.

Jones is only the second Cardinals player ever to earn two defensive player of the week honors in the same season. Antrel Rolle did it in 2007.

Jones has a career-high and franchise-record 19 sacks this year, breaking the previous record he set in 2017 of 17. With eight forced fumbles, he is only the second player in NFL history to have at least 19 sacks and eight forced fumbles in a season. Robert Mathis had 19.5 and 10 in 2013.

Jones has won the weekly award four times in his career and three with the Cardinals.

He could tie the NFL season sack record of 22.5 with 3.5 sacks in the team’s season finale against the Los Angeles Rams.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 253:

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Cardinals DC Vance Joseph explains why Chandler Jones’ sack numbers are even more impressive

He could have at least two more if he hadn’t been playing a different position than he is now.

Arizona Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones is having an impressive season. He leads the NFL with 19 sacks and eight forced fumbles. It has earned him a Pro Bowl starting selection and he should be considered a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year.

He has had two games this season with four sacks, something that had only been done twice, more than 30 years ago.

As if the numbers themselves aren’t incredible enough, Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph explained why the numbers are even more impressive when he spoke to reporters on Thursday after practice.

Up until recently, he had been playing the SAM linebacker position. After the release of Terrell Suggs, who was playing the WILL, Jones moved over. In Joseph’s defensive scheme, the two outside linebacker positions are the SAM and the WILL. The WILL backer is the rush linebacker.

“When we had him and Suggs playing, he was the better dropper so he dropped more,” Joseph explained. “I didn’t drop him a lot, but he did drop probably 12 percent of the time which is probably 45 more rushes.”

Joseph believes “he’d probably have two more sacks” if he had rushed 40-45 more times than he has.

That would put him at 21 with only needing two in Week 17 to break the all-time sack record in a season.

“That speaks to the year he’s had,” Joseph said. “Being a SAM backer in this defense, usually you’re not the sack leader. It’s the WILL backer, but Chan is special.

“What he’s done is incredible.”

There is no denying that.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 253:

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Jamarco Jones’ struggles could force change at left tackle in Week 17

Jamarco Jones struggled filling in for Duane Brown at left tackle for the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, which could force a change in Week 17.

Among the many things that didn’t go well on Sunday for the Seattle Seahawks in their loss to the Arizona Cardinals was the pass protection all across the offensive line.

Cardinals defensive end Chandler Jones, who has been a thorn in Seattle’s side for years, absolutely dominated on Sunday, racking up four sacks, six quarterback hits and two forced fumbles. Jones did most of his damage against fill-in starter Jamarco Jones, who was making his first NFL start at left tackle in place of Duane Brown, who was out after having surgery on his arm.

“It was hard,” Pete Carroll said of Jones’ performance. “He went against a great guy and it worked him the whole day. He did a lot of things that were really good. The sacks that his guy had weren’t all on him. It didn’t all happen because of his protection and all. He was tested. That was a real test. Chandler [Jones] is an amazing player.”

Jones earned a pass protection grade from Pro Football Focus of 17.4, one of the worst marks of the week across the league.

It’s a bit unfair to judge Jones on this one performance, particularly against a strong opponent, but it has given Carroll pause for how they plan to handle a similarly strong pass rush attack from San Francisco in Week 17.

Carroll wouldn’t commit to Jones starting in place of Brown again this week, and it would make sense for Seattle to try George Fant, who has played much more left tackle in his career, in that spot instead.

The team likes keeping Fant in that role as an extra run blocker, but perhaps trying Jordan Roos, or Jones, in that role will be the game plan on Sunday.

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Rams-Cardinals carries huge Defensive Player of the Year implications

Aaron Donald and Chandler Jones are both vying for Defensive Player of the Year, and Sunday’s matchup could decide it.

Neither the Los Angeles Rams nor the Arizona Cardinals will be playing for a postseason berth on Sunday afternoon when they square off at the Coliseum, but the game will carry some meaning for two players, in particular.

Aaron Donald and Chandler Jones are both chasing NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, which they both have a chance to win. Stephon Gilmore has leapfrogged to the top of the contenders list recently, picking off two passes with one pick-six against the Bengals in Week 15, but both Donald and Jones are in the running.

Jones has made a late push for the award, sacking Russell Wilson four times last week to give him a league-high 19 sacks on the year. He also tops the NFL with eight forced fumbles and made his third career Pro Bowl.

According to the odds at Bovada, Gilmore is the odds-on favorite to win, followed by Jones and Donald. Needless to say, Sunday’s game between the Rams and Cardinals will play a huge role in the winner of the NFL’s most coveted defensive award.

If Jones goes out and sacks Jared Goff four times to set the single-season sacks record with 23, he’ll have a good chance to jump Gilmore as the favorite – depending on what the Patriots corner does against Miami. If Donald has a huge performance against the Cardinals offensive line and stuffs the stat sheet with multiple sacks, a few tackles for loss and a turnover or two forced, he’ll also improve his chances of winning.

So in actuality, Donald may need help from his offensive line in order to win Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight season. Go figure.

Jones has gone seven straight games with at least a half-sack and only has three games of the 15 he’s played without a sack. It’s a good bet that he’ll have at least one, but the Rams offensive line has to prevent him from breaking Strahan’s record with a second straight four-sack performance.

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Chandler Jones sets franchise sack record in win over Seahawks

He now has 19 sacks on the season, two more than the 17 he had in 2017, which was the previous record.

The Arizona Cardinals got a career day out of linebacker Chandler Jones on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. He had four sacks for the second time this season, two forced fumbles and six QB hits.

His play was a big reason why the Cardinals left Seattle with a 27-13 victory, their best defensive performance of the season.

With the performance, he blew right past the franchise record he set in 2017 with 17.

He now has 19, which leads the league and puts him within reach of the NFL record for sacks in a season. The record is 22.5, which means he would have to get four sacks in Week 17 to break it. He only has half a sack in his last three games against the Rams, whom the Cardinals play in Week 17.

Jones, in his third season with the Cardinals, passed Calais Campbell for second place on the team’s all-time sack list. He is 6.5 sacks away from the franchise record in a career.

It should probably put him in the mix for Defensive Player of the Year, but considering the defense’s overall play this season and the Cardinals’ record, it seems unlikely.

Jones isn’t worrying about it.

“My biggest thing is just to do my job,” he said after the game. “I try to manage my expectations, do my job and put the team first, and everything else will take care of itself.”

He said he didn’t know how close he was to the NFL record until Larry Fitzgerald told him. “I try not to think about the numbers,” he said. “I just play.”

No one has more sacks in the league than Jones since he was traded to the Cardinals. No one playing at that level gets so little buzz.

It has become clear. The Cardinals have never had a better pass rusher.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 252:

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Lots of studs, few duds in Cardinals’ 27-13 win over Seahawks

See whose play stood out for the Cardinals in Week 16.

The Arizona Cardinals were fantastic on Sunday with a 27-13 win over the Seattle Seahawks. For the most part, they had contributions from everyone. Who are the studs from the game? Were there any duds at all?

Stud: RB Kenyan Drake

 Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Drake continues to make the Cardinals look good for trading for him. He set  a career high for the second week in a row. After 137 yards and four touchdowns in Week 15, he followed it up with 166 yards and two touchdowns. His 80-yard touchdown run in the first quarter set the tone after a bad two series to open the game. He is becoming more and more valuable by the game.

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WATCH: Game balls for all the Cardinals; Chandler Jones, Brett Hundley recognized

Brett Hundley and Chandler Jones earn extra mention for their play in the win.

The Arizona Cardinals played their best game of the season on Sunday, defeating the Seattle Seahawks 27-13 on the road. They had several players stand out. Kenyan Drake had 166 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Chandler Jones had four sacks and two forced fumbles. Kyler Murray had 40 rushing yards and a touchdown pass.

So who got a game ball?

Watch as Kliff Kingsbury tells us.

Everybody gets a game ball and they get the day off on Monday.

Kingsbury, though, did honor two players in particular. He mentioned Jones for his four sacks and also backup quarterback Brett Hundley, who entered the game in relief of Kyler Murray after he injured his hamstring. Hundley led them to a touchdown and had them in position for a field goal, although it was blocked.

That makes two wins a row after six straight losses. We will see how that carries over to the season finale in Los Angeles.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 252:

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Instant analysis of Seattle’s 27-13 loss to Arizona

The Seattle Seahawks suffered a handful of injuries in an ugly loss to the Arizona Cardinals, 27-13, on Sunday.

For years, Arizona’s stadium in Glendale has been a house of horrors for the Seattle Seahawks.

Injuries to Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Will Dissly over the past few years all occured down in the desert, but despite the nightmare scenarios, Seattle at least managed to find a way to win.

However – the Seahawks decided to switch things up this year, and instead had their gut-wrenching, injury-ravaged yearly tradition against Arizona at home this year, and it resulted in an ugly 27-13 loss.

The Seahawks, already coming into the game down four starters on defense and one, Duane Brown, on offense, lost both Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise to injury in the first half, leaving them with just Travis Homer in the backfield for the rest of the game.

Updates for Carson and Prosise will be provided as soon as they are available.

The injuries seemed to sap the life out of the Seahawks, who got absolutely boat-raced by the Cardinals. Arizona scored 20 unanswered points after Seattle scored first, which came on a three-yard touchdown pass to fullback Nick Bellore.

Seattle’s defense was unable to contain running back Kenyan Drake, who rushed for 166 yards and two touchdowns, and the pass rush was non-existent all game long.

Seattle’s offense was even worse, at one point going three consecutive drives with a grand total of negative 25 yards of total offense. An offensive line without Brown was unable to stop Chandler Jones, who had three sacks in the first half and finished with four sacks, six quarterback hits and two fumbles forced.

Seattle did not get a single first down in either the second or third quarter.

The momentum shifted briefly when Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray left the game with a hamstring injury, forcing former Seahawks backup Brett Hundley into the contest. A drive stalled and forced a field goal attempt, which was blocked by Rasheem Green and picked up by Marquise Blair, who ran 46 yards and set Seattle up for a field goal early in the fourth quarter.

After another Seahawks field goal, Hundley marched Arizona 78 yards, rushing for 38 of them on his own, and eventually handing the ball to Drake for his second touchdown of the game and the final nail in the coffin for Seattle.

The Seahawks still have a chance to win the NFC West with a win in Week 17 over the 49ers, who they will take on at 5:20 p.m. PT. on Sunday in Seattle.

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3 things to watch: Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks take on the Arizona Cardinals at home in the second-to-last regular season game of the 2019 season.

The Seattle Seahawks may have already clinched a playoff spot in the NFC, and their Week 17 battle with the San Francisco 49ers will determine who wins the NFC West, but that doesn’t mean the team will look over Sunday’s bout with the Arizona Cardinals.

A loss against the Cardinals could impact Seattle’s seeding in the NFC if they also lose next week, so no doubt this team will hope to take care of business on Sunday to give them added insurance in case things go south in Week 17.

However, Seattle is also doing their best to keep some of their key performers rested so they are ready for the finale, which could mean the team could face Arizona without as many as five key defensive players and one, Duane Brown, on offense.

That should make for some intense battles between Arizona’s vets and Seattle’s young players who are hungry to prove themselves.

Here are three matchups and questions for fans to keep an eye on during this division battle.

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