KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs’ 30-14 win over the Jaguars turned chippy, with both teams combining for 16 penalties for 150 yards and Kansas City linebacker Dee Ford and defensive end Chris Jones drawing disqualifications.
While head coach Andy Reid wasn’t happy with the ejections, he did like to see the fire his team displayed in the contest.
“When two good football teams play each other, you can’t let the emotions get to you,” Reid said. “This is a team that’s going to come in and try to be physical with you and push you around in your own place, so you can’t do that either.”
Ford picked up an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty for a late hit on Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles just before the end of the first half. Midway through the fourth quarter, officials flagged him for taunting after he stood over Bortles at the end of a play along the sideline. The second personal-conduct penalty resulted in an automatic ejection.
Ford did not speak to reporters after the game.
Jones picked up his disqualification for delivering a punch to a Jaguars player following an extra-point kick with 3 minutes, 10 seconds left in the third quarter. Officials assessed Jones with an unnecessary roughness penalty. But replay officials reviewed the play to determine if Jones threw a punch. They ruled he did, ordering the disqualification.
“The intensity was great,” Jones said. “We got a little chirping in and got a whole lot of aggression in. But the intensity, the effort and the toughness the defense played with, I’m just proud of my guys.”
The Jaguars brought a reputation for talking during games, and they lived up to that reputation. One Chiefs player said there was more trash talking in this game than he’s ever heard in an NFL game. Players from both teams frequently engaged each other with trash talk.
Reid said he wants his team to play with aggression while keeping themselves under control emotionally.
“You’ve got to put your feet down but you’ve got to do it the right way. We’ve got to learn from that. You surely can’t be ejected from the game, that’s not smart football.”
Reid seemed to be sending a statement, not just to the Jaguars but to every other team remaining on the schedule.
“But it’s a lesson that you can learn,” Reid said. “No one’s going to push us around anywhere, but be smart with it.”
