After their sluggish 2-3 start to the season, the defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs announced that they were back in their October 12 defeat of the Detroit Lions — but they left no doubt on Sunday when the Chiefs obliterated the Las Vegas Raiders 31-0.
The game was, somewhat incredibly, the Chiefs’ first regular season shutout of an opponent since head coach Andy Reid took over in 2013, and only the second overall in the Reid era (the Chiefs blanked the Houston Texans 30-0 in an AFC Wold Card game on January 9, 2016).
The game was so completely in control for Kansas City, that Reid pulled future Hall of Fame quarterback Patrick Mahomes with eight seconds remaining in the third quarter and let backup Gardner Minshew take some snaps against the Raiders, the team that cut him from their roster after last season.
Odd Bottle Seen in Hands of Jones
The offense was so dominant that the Kansas City defense was on the field for only 30 plays in the entire game. That allowed defensive to the what almost amounted to a day off — and one three-time first-team All-Pro defender took advantage, sipping a beverage on the sidelines that for some reason sent online fans into a frenzy of speculation.
Mots likely due to the fact that 10-year veteran defensive tackle Chris Jones was seen swigging a clear liquid from a glass bottle, fans on social media leaped to the conclusion that Jones was celebrating his team’s one-sided demolition of the Raiders by enjoying an alcoholic beverage.
No Hint of Anything but Water
For the record, while consuming any refreshment on the sidelines from any container other than a paper cup or plastic bottle is rather unusual, there is no indication at all that the beverage in Jones’ bottle was anything but plain water.
The NFL enforces strict rules against alcohol consumption in locker rooms, or even on team buses and plains, a ban that obviously extends to the sidelines of an actual game.
“This policy has been in place for many years,” an NFL memo sent to teams and players lats season read. “Making alcohol available at club facilities or while traveling creates significant and unnecessary risks to the league, its players, coaches and others. Violations of this important policy will be taken seriously and will result in significant discipline.”
Online Speculation Goes Haywire
That rule did not, unsurprisingly, deter online speculation.
“This game is so over that Chris Jones is drinking straight vodka on the bench,” wrote one social media commenter.
“I caught my 7 year old daughter walking around the house drinking a bottle of vodka. I said ‘What are you doing why are you drinking that!?’ She said ‘I saw Chris Jones drinking it on the sidelines and wanted some too,’ wrote another online wit. “WOW. Please step in, NFL, the Chiefs are bad influences.”
“Clear during work hours… brown afterwards,” wrote another, in comments typical of dozens that appeared online.
One key tipoff, however, that there was nothing untoward about whatever Jones was consuming despite the glass bottle, Sunday’s game was not the first time the 31-year old defensive lineman was seen drinking from the same bottle, or at least an identical one.
Photos of Jones appeared online as far back as December, 2024, drinking from the bottle on the sidelines with no issues created by his choice of beverage, or means of consuming it, at that time either.
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