Kansas City Chiefs’ bizarre decision to bench LG Kingsley Suamataia in Week 4 vs. the Las Vegas Raiders could prove costly
The Kansas City Chiefs are starting Mike Caliendo at left guard in place of Kingsley Suamataia vs. the Las Vegas Raiders. Injury? Illness? No, it’s a “coaching decision” per reports.
The Kansas City Chiefs had a personnel change to their starting offensive line in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders, and it wasn’t injury-related.
On the opening drive against the Raiders on Sunday, Chiefs backup OG Mike Caliendo was starting at left guard in place of starter Kingsley Suamataia. The third-year starter for Kansas City didn’t appear on this week’s injury report. Pre-game, there was no indication that Suamataia would not play. Did he hurt himself in pre-game warmups? Was he sick ahead of the game? It was a real mystery why he wasn’t out there until about the midpoint of the second quarter.
According to ESPN’s Nate Taylor and KC Star columnist Sam McDowell, the Chiefs’ decision to start Caliendo at left guard instead of Suamataia was a “coaching decision.” What exactly does that mean? It means he isn’t hurt or sick, but the coaches chose to sit him in this game. This could be disciplinary, with Suamataia potentially breaking a team rule. It could be something the team wasn’t happy with in practice this week.
We’ll likely learn more after the game, when Coach Reid speaks to reporters.
Why the Chiefs’ Kingsley Suamataia decision could prove a costly one
Mike Caliendo held his own in the first half as a pass protector, which is a big plus. That hasn’t always been the case in his NFL career. Part of that is Patrick Mahomes getting the ball out quickly on some plays. However, the decision is hard to justify no matter what Suamataia did.
Entering the Week 4 game against the Raiders, Suamataia had the lowest pressure rate allowed in the NFL among starting left guards at 3.8%. Benching a player that successful, especially heading into an important AFC West divisional matchup? That’s some decision to make. It could prove costly in crunch time of a tight game, no matter how he performed in the first half.
Caliendo’s run-blocking was noticeably deficient in the first half. He missed multiple blocks in space and ended up on the ground far too often. He made life harder for Kenneth Walker when he ran to the left side or tried to improvise and cut back. That’s certainly not what you want to see.
Again, we don’t know the why behind this decision. The game’s result remains to be seen. At halftime, Las Vegas leads 13-10. Maybe the decision doesn’t move the needle. So far, it looks like Kansas City is needlessly making the game harder on themselves.
