The Kansas City Chiefs shook up the starting lineup on offense at the last second before Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos. Veteran backup Mike Caliendo filled in for third-year player Kingsley Suamataia, and according to head coach Andy Reid on Monday, the decision was not made because of anything related to “punishment.”
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‘This isn’t punishment’ — Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid’s comments on Kingsley Suamataia’s benching only further fuel the mystery
“Yeah, no, listen, Todd (Leabo), just so we have it straight, I didn’t say it was punishment ever,” Reid said. “So, this was just between (OL) Kingsley (Suamataia) and I, working some things out here. So, this isn’t punishment, and I’ll leave it at that.”
With Reid leaving room for speculation, fans and observers have filled in the blanks themselves. Two theories have been brought up to me.
Theory No. 1: Caliendo is outperforming Suamataia somewhere. This idea suggests that Caliendo is doing something better than Suamataia, whether in the classroom, at practice, or elsewhere. Under this view, the move isn’t a punishment at all. The coaching staff simply believes Caliendo is the better option right now.
Kansas City Chiefs’ late collapse vs. Denver Broncos opens up AFC West race | ESPN
Reid did have another option, especially with Butker’s struggles this season when kicking long field goals. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, a punt would have given the Chiefs the highest win probability ahead of going for it (74.3% vs. 72.5%). A field goal attempt, however, ranked last (71.5%). ESPN Analytics metrics also disagreed with Reid’s decision to have Butker attempt the 54-yard kick (73.4% win probability) instead of punting (76.8%).
“It’s within Harrison’s range,” Reid said of his decision.
Butker’s miss continued his ongoing woes. Since the start of last season, Butker has missed 16 kicks — 11 field goal attempts and five extra point attempts — the most by any kicker in the NFL during that span.
“It was just a really bad miss,” Butker said. “I just completely missed the ball and didn’t even give it a chance. It didn’t feel good off the foot.”
The most troubling part of the Chiefs’ loss in Denver is this familiarity | The Kansas City Star
Get this: From the 2018-22 seasons, when the Chiefs trailed by a margin of 4-7 points (more than a field goal but within a touchdown) in the final 14 minutes of a game, they scored touchdowns on eight of 14 drives, a rate of 57.1%.
Since the start of the 2023 season, the Chiefs have seen a similar opportunity — trailing by 4-7 points with less than 13 minutes to go — at the onset of 11 drives.
Their touchdown total: Zero.
Guess how many of those photo-finish games they’ve won? The same big ol’ fat goose egg.
Former Chiefs QB Set to Start Against Kansas City at Arrowhead in Week 11 | Heavy Sports
According to a report from ESPN insider Josh Weinfuss, former Chiefs quarterback Gardner Minshew is now the new starter for the Cardinals. That means he is set to play against his former team when Arizona comes into Arrowhead on November 22nd.
Minshew signed a one-year, $1.17 million contract with the Chiefs during the 2025 offseason to back up Patrick Mahomes. When Mahomes went down with his season-ending ACL and LCL injury in Week 15, Minshew started in a Week 16 game against the Tennesse Titans.
Chiefs Stock Watch: Kansas City Failed Patrick Mahomes in Week 8 Defeat to Broncos | Sports Illustrated
Khyiris Tonga
Being a nose tackle in the pros is a pretty thankless job. Oftentimes, it’s your name not being called that means you’re fulfilling your role at a high level. Everyone knew that’d be primarily the case when Khyiris Tonga signed with the Chiefs earlier this year, but he’s making a name for himself. After a six-tackle performance against Seattle, the 30-year-old picked up right where he left off.
Tonga finished with just two tackles in Week 8, but one was a run stop on halfback J.K. Dobbins that stood out on tape. He also batted a pass in the second half of play and, per Pro Football Focus, was credited with a pressure on quarterback Bo Nix. On an afternoon and evening that saw several members of the Chiefs fall short, Tonga Time was out in full force.
Around the NFL
Rams to open Myles Garrett’s practice window after missing 7 games with knee injury | The Athletic
Garrett was the prize of the Rams’ offseason, when they traded Pro Bowl outside linebacker Jared Verse as well as first-, second- and third-round draft picks to the Cleveland Browns to land the two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Fresh off breaking the NFL’s single-season record with 23 sacks, Garrett arrived to the Rams and helped entice Aaron Donald to end his two-year retirement and return to play alongside him.
The two have yet to share the line together in a game, as Donald missed the season opener while ramping up. That time is coming soon. When it does, the Rams will become the first team in NFL history to have two players with 100 career sacks and a 20-sack season on the same defensive line.
Brandon Aiyuk hires Drew Rosenhaus, wants to play again | Pro Football Talk
Aiyuk has hired Drew Rosenhaus and Rosenhaus told Adam Schefter of ESPN that he is “working on getting [Aiyuk] back to work and playing again in the NFL.”
The first step in that process would be filing for reinstatement from the 49ers’ reserve/left squad list. Aiyuk went on that list amid extended acrimony with the 49ers about how Aiyuk handled his recovery after a serious knee injury in 2024. The 49ers voided the remaining guarantees on Aiyuk’s contract in 2025 and Aiyuk has remained away from the team since that decision.
Jack Campbell injury updates: Lions LB remains in hospital, but ‘indications are positive’ | CBS Sports
Shortly after that update, Dan Campbell met with the media, and though he did not share any further updates, he did ask for continued prayers and say he had a chance to visit Jack in the hospital Sunday night and talk with his family.
“It was good, it was positive,” Dan Campbell said. “Got to see his parents, talk to his wife, and everybody’s in good spirits. It’s about the recovery, and it’s a small setback. That’s the family. They’re very positive. So that’s good in that regard.”
In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride
5 things we learned from the Chiefs’ heartbreaking collapse in Denver
Johnson finished the day with 128 yards receiving and a touchdown. He also had a clutch kick return late in the fourth quarter that set up the Chiefs with a short field and a chance to win.
Going back to making questionable decisions — you have to wonder, on their final drive, if Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy should have ridden the hot hand a little bit more and fed Johnson. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered. Maybe they would have gotten in the endzone; we’ll never know.
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