Kansas City Chiefs left guard Kingsley Suamataia returned to the starting lineup during Week 9’s victory over the New York Jets.
Suamataia was benched before last week’s loss to the Denver Broncos, playing just a bit on special teams and receiving zero snaps with the offensive line. He was also benched in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders, and did not play at all in that game.
Kansas City Chiefs OL Kingsley Suamataia Echoes HC Andy Reid’s Comments on Benching
After the Chiefs’ win over the Jets, Suamataia had this to say when asked how he has handled his two benchings this season.
“That’s between me and coach Reid,” Suamataia said. “It’ll be like that, but it was a good feeling to be with the boys again and play backyard football.”
Every time coach Andy Reid has been asked why he has benched Suamataia, his response has consistently been that it is a personal matter between the two. Reid did insist that it was not discipline related. Suamataia went on to say that it was tough for him to miss those games, but tried to keep a positive attitude about it.
“I missed it a lot, man,” Suamataia said. “But, whether I have to show the scout team look, or be on the field, I have to give 110% to help this team out.”
Kingsley Suamataia Had Great Outing vs. Jets
Suamataia returned with a vengeance in Week 9, making several impressive blocks in both passing and rushing situations. He really stood out during a touchdown reception by running back Kenneth Walker III on a screen pass, as Suamataia hustled out in front of Walker and threw multiple key blocks.
Suamataia described what his mindset was during that play, while giving credit to his teammates.
“If you all could see practice, that’s how we practice,” Suamataia said. “It turned out just like practice, it was wide open. Trey [Smith] and Creed [Humphrey] were able to get out, and the rest is history. Just got into the endzone, and got the offense rolling again.”
The Chiefs’ offense had arguably its best outing of the year against the Jets, scoring a season-high 35 points. The unit is noticeably better with Suamataia on the field, and hopefully he can maintain his momentum from Sunday and put his previous issues, whatever they were, behind him.
Chiefs OL Kingsley Suamataia Makes 1st Comments Since Being Benched