For the second week in a row, the Kansas City Chiefs got served up some humble pie. The reigning AFC champions were dealt another defeat, partially due to self-inflicted mistakes en route to an 0-2 start to the season.
Despite that, there was one silver lining in Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Rookie offensive tackle Josh Simmons was excellent, even with his brief absence in the first half.
What caused Simmons to leave the game? Head coach Andy Reid offered an explanation.
Andy Reid Clears Air on Josh Simmons’ Exit From Chiefs’ Week 2 Game
Speaking to the media on Monday, Reid provided some reassurance. The Chiefs‘ first-round pick was merely dehydrated.
“Yeah, he came off [because] he was dehydrated a little bit,” Reid said. “They got him fixed up there with some liquids.”
It was indeed somewhat uncomfortable in Kansas City on Sunday. According to the NFL’s official game summary for Week 2, temperature at kickoff was 88º with 46% humidity. That undoubtedly presented a bit of a challenge for players, even in mid-September. Fortunately, things never progressed beyond Simmons being captured on the sideline by the in-game broadcast while resting. He was relieved by spring free agent signing Jaylon Moore.
In the grand scheme of things, it was an abbreviated absence for the rook. Simmons wound up playing 56 offensive snaps on Sunday, good for 93% of those available. He also found tremendous success while doing so.
He gave up 0 pressures on 36 pass blocking snaps while also having the best tackle by an Olineman I have seen.
He is him.
Simmons Gets Tip of the Cap for Outstanding Effort Against Eagles
Both the eye test and advanced stats painted a pretty picture of Simmons’ outing. The same couldn’t be said for right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who continues to struggle out of the gate. Somehow, the biggest play Simmons made didn’t come in pass protection.
It was on an interception return by the Eagles.
Driving down the field in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs had a second-and-goal from the 6-yard line. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes hit tight end Travis Kelce for a potential touchdown, but Kelce bobbled the ball. His drop was subsequently picked up by Philadelphia defensive back Andrew Mukuba, who may have scored if not for Simmons tracking him down.
Reid tipped his cap to Simmons for such a tremendous effort at a pivotal point in the game.
“I’d say that way pretty impressive,” Reid said. “For a big guy to be able to run like that, first of all, is something. You got a chance to see his athletic ability, body control and all that. You’d hate to have it in that situation, for it to show up, but that part was impressive. Just his want-to, to get there, I thought was impressive. A lot of guys in this league would’ve stood around and watched as opposed to chasing. He chased, along with the other guys, [but] they just weren’t fast enough to get there. He did a nice job with that.”
It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances, sure. With that said, it’s yet another reminder of Simmons’ tremendous raw athleticism.
Moving forward, the Chiefs will hope he gets more chances to showcase it on offense and fewer opportunities to end interception bring-backs.
Andy Reid Explains Brief Exit for Chiefs’ Star Rookie, Commends Effort