The Kansas City Chiefs
secured their fourth straight win of the season by defeating the Las Vegas Raiders
with a score of 30-27. But the Chiefs secured the headlines right when they entered Allegiant Stadium. All eyes were on the Chiefs' backup offensive guard Mike Caliendo, who replaced Kingsley Suamataia as the starting left guard. And Patrick Mahomes didn't seem to mind that change.
"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."
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The Chiefs 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. However, things didn't really work out as trouble found its way to the guard.
Mahomes' unwavering faith in Reid's bold move reveals the trust that fuels Kansas City's dynasty. Subscribe for insider analysis on how the Chiefs navigate critical decisions.
Back 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.
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But it's worth noting that Suamataia allowed only a 3.8% pressure rate. That's one of the lowest numbers in the league among left guards. Meanwhile, Caliendo missed a few blocks in space and was on the ground pretty often. To make things worse, he ran to the left or tried to improvise and cut back. That, according to A To Z Sports' Charles Goldman, made things harder for Kenneth Walker.
However, Patrick Mahomes was pretty quick in his throws. And that made things somewhat easier for Caliendo. Yet, the star quarterback faced two sacks. The Raiders further recorded eight hits on the quarterback.
ESPN's Nate Taylor and KC Star's Sam McDowell claimed that it was nothing but a "coaching decision" and closed the doors on a possible injury scare. But despite all of that, head coach Andy Reid refused to give any explanation regarding the decision to bench Suamataia. He didn't even let the reporters at the postgame presser ask him about the benching decision.
"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."
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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
.
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