Staring at his reflection in the mirror of his bathroom every morning, Chris Jones lets his eyes wander over a three-goal list scrawled on the side of the glass.
First: Be the best dad ever.
Second: Grow in his faith.
And third: Make someone smile.
Not on that list? Making the Pro Bowl. Or any other football-related thing, for that matter.
It’s one of the reasons the third-year Chiefs defensive lineman wasn’t all that upset when he found out he wasn’t one of the six Kansas City players elected to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday night.
“I feel like my purpose in this world is greater than football,” he said Wednesday afternoon.
Jones, a firm believer in speaking things into existence, also adds other mirror messages daily. Sometimes those focus on football — but not the Pro Bowl. Not right now.
Instead, he said, his primary goal is chasing down Justin Houston’s franchise single-season sack record, set in 2014 when he put up 22. With 14 so far this season, Jones is still a ways away from Houston’s total. But he is third in the NFL this year behind Aaron Donald’s league-best 16.5 and three-way tie for second at 14.5 that includes J.J. Watt.
Those numbers would seem to be good enough to earn Jones his first Pro Bowl nod. Pro Football Focus certainly thought so, naming Jones as one of the top-10 snubs of this year’s Pro Bowl, along with teammate Mitchell Schwartz, among others. Both were named as alternates on Wednesday.
But Jones doesn’t care.
“I really haven’t been focused on the Pro Bowl,” Jones said. “It was more so trying to attain the sack record of Justin Houston’s.”
Jones already broke one of Houston’s records when he sacked Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson a week ago, giving him at least one sack in nine consecutive games. He extended that streak even more in Thursday’s loss to the Chargers with an early sack of Philip Rivers. The 10-game streak ties an NFL record.
Throughout the streak, Jones has kept his routine — and his equipment — the same.
Jones got his first sack on Oct. 7, dropping Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles for a loss of six yards while wearing a new pair of gloves. He’s worn the same pair in every game since.
“My gloves smell like a dead animal, but I won’t change them up because I’m very superstitious,” Jones said. “(My teammates) hate them because when I walk out, you can smell them. You can smell it coming.”
He’s also worn the same cleats during every practice since the streak began and donned the same clothes — although those get washed.
Every Monday, Jones goes with defensive lineman Xavier Williams and former teammate Jarvis Jenkins to Mother Clucker in the Crossroads. And every Monday, Jones orders the same meal: a chicken sandwich, two chicken breasts, three orders of fries and a Cap’n Crunch milkshake.
Jones doesn’t always finish the entire meal, instead sampling the platter of food in front of him. But he does save enough room for the entire milkshake — made with Cap’n Crunch cereal, a Rice Krispie treat and a donut hole — every week.
“Of course I’m going to finish the shake,” Jones said. “The shake is like the best thing ever. Dessert is always the best part of dinner.”
The group started out dining at the County Road Ice House downtown before Jones’ sack streak began. Before the Chiefs hosted the Jaguars, the group switched it up and went to Mother Clucker. Soon after, Jones sacked Bortles. Then the sacks kept coming.
“I’m like you know what, this is a sign that God is sending me, don’t change it up,” Jones said. “So every Monday, they get a little bit of my money.”
The meal doesn’t exactly adhere to the stricter guidelines that Jones implemented this summer to shed at least 25 pounds. Most of the time, Jones fills up on vegetables and lean protein. He gave up pork and eats a lot of fish.
“I feel a lot different,” Jones said. “Just with my body weight, my body fat. I try to make sure I maintain my body weight and body fat. So it keeps me moving around, feeling faster. I feel less sluggish, especially without eating the pork.”
Even if Jones’ sack streak ends, he’s not going to change his routine.
“It’s Week 14 of the season,” Jones said. “I’m not switching up anything. Everything is like, it’s about where it’s going to be right now. I was telling (teammate Derrick) Nnadi, by Week 10, you know your routine. You kind of pick up what you like to do, what you don’t like to do.”
This story was originally published December 19, 2018 5:20 PM.