Chris Jones snubs jersey swap, takes shot at Russell Wilson after Chiefs' 22-9 win over Giants
Chiefs defensive lineman says he no longer wants Wilson’s jersey as Giants slip to 0-3; Wilson endures another uneven showing after a marquee performance the previous week
Chris Jones has stopped chasing a postgame jersey swap with Russell Wilson, telling NBC’s Melissa Stark that he “never even wants [Wilson’s] jersey” after games. Jones made the remark during the NBC broadcast following Kansas City’s 22-9 win over the New York Giants on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium. The Chiefs moved to 1-2 with the victory, while the Giants remained winless at 0-3. Wilson arrived in New York with momentum after one of the best performances of his career a week earlier, a 450-yard, three-touchdown, one-interception showing in a 40-37 overtime loss to the Cowboys in Dallas on Sept. 14. But against Kansas City, Wilson was unable to sustain that level, finishing 18 of 32 for 160 yards with two picks and no TDs.
There were highs and lows in the game-and a moment that drew as much attention off the field as on it. The Giants’ home opener was met with boos for Wilson, and the crowd at MetLife Stadium also chanted for rookie Jaxson Dart to replace him at quarterback. Jones, meanwhile, continued to pace the Chiefs’ defense and provided the kind of jolt his team had hoped to get from its spearheading pass rush. Jones sacked Wilson on Sunday for the first time this season, a moment the Chiefs defender marked with a grin and a pointed reminder of a longstanding postgame ritual that he said he’s decided not to pursue anymore.
“There are highs and lows and always tough moments,” Wilson said after the loss. “You got to have thick skin, you know what I mean? You got to be able to know who you are, the player that you are, know what you’re capable of.” He added that the offense has shown what it’s capable of at times, but noted Kansas City made a few more plays and that the nine-point margin was largely a product of the game’s pace and the defenses’ success. “Obviously I’ve been able to show that throughout my career and obviously last week and everything else, too, what we’re capable of as an offense. I think they made a couple more plays than us today. I think it was a 9-6 game for most of the game. Pretty tight. We needed one or two big plays. Unfortunately didn’t come our way.”
Jones’s sack on Wilson was his first of the season, and he offered a succinct summary afterward. “About time,” he said. “It’s been a minute.” Kansas City limited New York’s offense to a handful of sustained drives and kept the game within reach most of the night, a contrast to the production seen in Wilson’s prior outing and a reminder that the Chiefs’ defense remains a mis-match for many opponents.
The game also highlighted a rough night for the Giants’ offense and a cross-town storyline that has persisted through the early part of the season: a veteran quarterback under pressure, a beleaguered crowd, and a young quarterback option in the wings who is generating buzz among fans. Dart’s name was floated by the fans in attendance as a possible spark in the rotation, underscoring the persistent scrutiny around New York’s quarterback depth as the team tries to turn around a rocky start. The Giants’ 0-3 mark leaves them at a crossroads early in the season, with a combination of misfiring passes and a stingy Chiefs defense producing a game that, at times, felt more like a defensive slog than a high-octane shootout.
In the aftermath, Jones and Wilson offered brief reflections on what the result means for their teams. Jones emphasized the moment as a personal takeaway while also acknowledging the game’s broader narrative around the jersey-swap tradition and the competitive web that connects players across the league. Wilson, for his part, spoke to the need to respond with resilience and to keep pushing forward, even after a night that underscored how quickly a promising stretch can be tempered by a strong opponent and a few missed opportunities.
For Kansas City, the win provided a much-needed performance from a defense that has faced questions early in the season, even as the offense continues to search for consistency. The Chiefs will look to build on the momentum as they travel forward, while New York will try to regroup at home against the next opponent. The contrast between the Chiefs’ control of the game and the Giants’ struggles on offense painted a familiar early-season picture: a league defined by margins, pressure, and the constant scrutiny that surrounds every quarterback at the professional level.
