When you’re kicking off your toughest game of the season, you’d want the team to be at full strength, right? Except Andy Reid made a massive gamble, one that didn’t just risk the team’s perfect start to the season, but also their QB’s health after 10 months of tough rehab. And even though QB Patrick Mahomes has been quick to support Reid’s decision, there’s a reason that call had us worried in the close Week 4 finish. 

After the Kansas City Chiefs secured their fourth straight win of the season, all eyes were on the Chiefs’ backup offensive guard Mike Caliendo, who replaced Kingsley Suamataia as the starting left guard. When Mahomes was asked about the swap, he backed up the decision and expressed confidence in the benched starter. 

“Kingsley knows how important he is to the team,” Mahomes said in the post-game press conference. “And so, my coach, he’ll keep it between him and Kingsley. But at the end of the day, man, we have a guy like Mike Caliendo, who’s played in a lot of big games and had a lot of reps. He stepped right in and did a great job against a really good defensive line. So, I have a ton of trust in him. And then we’ll get Kingsley back in the fold here soon.”

To swap out a player who started all 17 games for the Chiefs last season and the first three this year for a guard who has only started in 8 games over the last four years is a massive risk. So why did Reid do it? 

Well, the head coach has maintained a tight lip around the situation, but from the looks of things, it might have been a behavioral issue, especially given Andy Reid’s veiled statement. 

“As far as the Kingsley thing goes, before you guys ask, that’s between Kingsley and I. We’ll figure it out, and down the road, we’ll be better as a team for it, and Kingsley will be better for it. That’s between Kingsley. I might have stuttered when I said that.” 

We’ve seen Reid do it before, during his years with the Philadelphia Eagles. Reid and the Eagles deactivated Terrell Owens after previously suspending him. As Reid had put it, Owens “had been warned repeatedly about the consequences of his actions.”

Adding to the speculation is an issue from earlier last month. On September 2, 2026, Andy Reid, according to ESPN’s Nate Taylor, announced that Suamataia left practice midway because of illness. The absence put pressure on Mahomes as he lost another offensive line starter, as left tackle Josh Simmons has been in rehabilitation for his injured back. 

Now we understand Andy Reid is a Super Bowl-winning coach, but in terms of the season, benching the same starter who has been part of an O-line allowing just six sacks on Patrick Mahomes this season seems like an unnecessary risk. 

And the Chiefs paid for it all night against the Raiders. Across three games, Mahomes had taken 4 sacks, and last night, when he faced one of his toughest opponents, Maxx Crosby, he took two sacks and eight hits. But the consequences of this decision aren’t just around a single game.

The Chiefs’ O-line has already been under scrutiny, and controversy around Josh Simmons being a part of the 53-man roster has already followed Ried. But with a second player sitting out, the same concerns we had at the start of the season around Mahomes’ safety have returned. Reid is sending a message, but will it prove costly for the Chiefs? 

The hope for fans will be that whatever issue caused Sumamataia to sit out the game will be resolved by the next game. And thankfully, with a bye week, we could see him return to the squad.

The Chiefs had acquired Suamataia in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. After starting two games as the Chiefs’ left tackle, the front office benched him for the rest of his rookie year, while letting Wanya Morris play in his stead. Later in 2025, Suamataia took up the mantle of the left guard in the last season.

Playing alongside Josh Simmons, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, and Jaylon Moore, Suamataia’s job was to defend Mahomes from incoming attacks from the opponents’ defense and keep the pocket from collapsing as Mahomes decided on the play. 

“As far as the Kingsley thing goes, before you guys ask, that’s between Kingsley and I,” Reid said at the postgame press conference. “But we’ll figure it out down the road. We’ll be better as a team for it, and Kingsley will be better for it.” 

While Suamataia’s benching raised eyebrows, Mahomes handled the shuffle as the veteran leader he is. He threw his support for Caliendo while keeping his praise for Suamataia. 

For now, we need to wait till Week 6 to see if Caliendo will still play in Suamataia’s stead against the Los Angeles Chargers.