Chiefs HC Andy Reid Explains Why He Personally Benched Rookie Starter

Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.

After the Kansas City Chiefs‘ 26-25 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid reacted to rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia being benched late in the fourth quarter in favor of third-year tackle Wanya Morris.

“Kingsley can put this experience away and learn from it,” Reid said during his postgame press conference, via Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports. “I took him out of the game, sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step forward.”

Suamataia — the team’s second-round pick in April’s draft — was struggling to block Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson, which is why he was benched on the second-to-last offensive drive of the game for Kansas City. Morris played the final snap of that offensive drive and the entire last drive of the game.

When asked who would start at left tackle in Week 3 — when the Chiefs travel to face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football — Big Red said he wasn’t ready to make that decision.

“We’ll see. We’ll see how it goes. I’m going to go back and look at the tape and I’ll talk to Coach (Andy) Heck and we’ll go from there,” he said.

Chiefs Squeaked Out Win at Home

Overall, Kansas City’s offense struggled against Cincinnati. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed 18-of-25 pass attempts for 151 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He was also sacked two times. Second-year receiver Rashee Rice led the team with five catches, 75 yards, and one touchdown on six targets. He was the only Chiefs pass-catcher to gain over 22 receiving yards against the Bengals.

Third-year running back Isiah Pacheco led the team in rushing with 19 carries and 90 yards. He also had five catches for 21 yards. Pacheco’s rushing performance is what kept the game close for the Chiefs despite trailing for the entire fourth quarter before Butker made the game-winning 51-yard field goal.

But as the two-time defending champions have done many times during the Mahomes era, they found a way to win.

X Users React to Chiefs Defeating Bengals in Week 2

Users on X — formerly Twitter — reacted to the Chiefs defeating the Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 2.

“Don’t let Bengals fans tell you the refs bailed the Chiefs out,” Tucker D. Franklin of KC Sports Network wrote. “Ja’Marr [Chase] had the most obvious unsportsmanlike conduct. [Daijahn] Anthony committed the most obvious DPI. The Bengals bailed the Chiefs out, not the refs.”

“Bengals’ DC Lou Anarumo is one of the best in the game. Mahomes made some bad throws, but it’s also in credit to how well Anarumo makes adjustments,” another person wrote. “He’s gotten the better of Mahomes more times than not because he’s that good of a coach.”

“Chiefs win by 1 point. Imagine if they had went for it on that 4th and goal and didn’t get it,” another person wrote. “Team take the points strikes again!

“Bengals look good considering we didn’t even show a full hand..no moral victories..I know we can go 15-2 if we get out our own way and score tuddies not 3s..chiefs didn’t sell me on that I always knew..they gotta play ball,” another person wrote.