Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid declined again on Monday to explain why left guard Kingsley Suamataia was not in the starting lineup of Sunday’s 28-24 loss to the Denver Broncos. He confirmed only that the decision was not punishment and that the two of them were “working some things out.”
Reid’s postgame answer matched the one he gave in October. Asked why Suamataia sat, he said:
Thanks for the submission!
“That’s just between Kingsley and I.”
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On Monday he added a little more.
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“He was at practice last week,” Reid said. “This is just between Kingsley and I. It’s not something that’s earth-shattering. I’ll just keep it there.”
When a reporter suggested the benching amounted to punishment, Reid pushed back:
“I didn’t say it was punishment, ever. This was just between Kingsley and I working some things out here. This isn’t punishment. I’ll leave it at that.”
However, fans were having none of Reid’s explanation and called him out.
Andy Reid’s silence left room for anger, and much of it centered on the protection in front of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
One fan said, “It’s malpractice, and he’s trying to get Patrick Mahomes hurt!!!!”
Another wrote, “68 years old, it’s time for him to call it a career.”
One X user tweeted, “insane negligence to leave your hof qb with a worse o line for practically no reason in a game that decides the division and the AFC. Andy needs to go.”
“Yeah so we risk the health of our generational franchise qb cause… well… cause of something between THEM,” tweeted another.
One more fan said, “He’s too dumb to learn the plays. That’s the only explanation.”
“What a horrible answer. Andy Reid’s responses to questions this year have been a clinic in what not to say,” commented another.
Suamataia, a 2024 second-round pick, did not take a single offensive snap in Sunday’s 28-24 loss to the Denver Broncos, the second time in four games Reid has benched him.
He had been a full participant in all three practices that week and was not on the injury report.
The lineup change was visible in pregame warmups, when Mike Caliendo, who has been with the organization since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2022, took most of the first-team reps at left guard. He played all 69 offensive snaps; Suamataia appeared on five special-teams plays.
The first benching, before the Week 4 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, kept Suamataia off the field entirely.
Andy Reid’s Chiefs suffer second loss after Broncos defeat
Kansas City (5-2) led 24-13 in the fourth quarter before Denver scored the game’s final 15 points. The last snap settled it: On fourth-and-goal from the Broncos’ 6-yard line, Denver’s Malcolm Roach beat Mike Caliendo to sack Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes finished 30 of 41 for 321 yards and three touchdowns, but the ground game never got moving. Kenneth Walker III carried 21 times for 69 yards, and Harrison Butker missed a 54-yard field goal in the rain with Kansas City up three.
The result dropped Andy Reid’s Chiefs to second place in the AFC West, with Denver (6-2) leading the division.
Edited by Prasen
