Former MSU player Gay, Jones, Rankin to join Chiefs in Tampa

Chris Jones, Willie Gay Jr. and Martinas Rankin have reached Super Bowl LV, which will be held in Tampa, Florida, on Feb. 7. The Kansas City Chiefs won their second consecutive AFC Championship on Sunday, defeating the Buffalo Bills 38-24.

Chris Jones was a disruptive force on the defensive line, helping the Chiefs record four sacks. Jones was Kansas City’s highest-graded pass rusher (73) according to Pro Football Focus and totaled an impressive seven pressures.

The conference championship tilt marked Jones’ third game of the year with seven or more pressures, and he now boasts 69 across the regular season and postseason combined, which ranks fifth in the National Football League.

Jones picked up one assisted tackle and was credited with one quarterback hit. He was joined on the field by Rankin, who played on the field goal unit in his first postseason action with the franchise. He had previously played one postseason contest with the Houston Texans in 2018. Gay was out with an ankle injury for the second straight week.

Four more Bulldogs played in the NFC title game, but saw their seasons end with Green Bay’s 31-26 loss to Tampa Bay. Elgton Jenkins started at left guard, and Preston Smith started at linebacker. Smith made two tackles and recorded a quarterback hit. Hunter Bradley filled his usual role as the Packers’ long snapper, and Will Redmond played 36 total snaps.

With its trio of former players headed to Tampa in two weeks, Mississippi State will see at least one player compete in the Super Bowl in 12 of the last 14 years. There have been 14 former Bulldogs who have lifted the Lombardi Trophy since 2008, including Jones and Rankin last year.

D.D. Lewis is MSU’S only two-time Super Bowl champion, winning with the Dallas Cowboys in 1972 and 1978. State’s record for Super Bowl participants was set in Super Bowl XXV (1991), when four former Bulldogs suited up for the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants.