The Kansas City Chiefs took a tough 28-24 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Kansas City’s offense was much improved from last week, but still had some struggles. It struggled to run the ball for the second consecutive week, particularly in short-yardage situations — which has plagued the unit all year. The game started with controversy right off the bat, as left guard Kingsley Suamataia was benched for the second time this season.
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce Speaks Out About Kingsley Suamataia Benching
Just as he was in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders, Suamataia was benched against Denver. Starting in his place was veteran Mike Caliendo, as he did in Week 4. After the game against the Broncos, coach Andy Reid made similar comments to the ones he made after the Raiders contest.
“That’s just between Kingsley and I,” Reid said.
Tight end and team leader Travis Kelce showed strong support to Suamataia while speaking to the media in the locker room (H/T Nate Taylor).
“He’s family,” Kelce said. “Everybody has their own road. We love Kingsley, we think he’s a hell of a player. At this time, I’m not even sure what the scenario is. I’m rolling with whoever we’ve got in that game. I’m sure Kingsley is drooling, trying to get back out there.”
“We love Kingsley,” Kelce said.
Kingsley Suamataia Timeline
The Chiefs selected Suamataia in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The original plan was for him to play left tackle, with the hopes he would develop into a cornerstone player. However, he struggled mightily in that role, and was benched after just two games as a rookie.
Suamataia slowly began to transition to left guard. He started there in the final week of the 2024 regular season, and showed promise. Kansas City committed to him as its starting left guard in 2025, trading away multi-time All-Pro Joe Thuney.
Suamataia was a bright spot in a grim 2025 season, starting every game and playing well. He has also played well in the five games he’s started in 2026. We don’t know what the behind-the-scenes issue is between Suamataia and the team, but hopefully it gets solved quickly and he can continue his promising young career.
Travis Kelce Makes Strong Statement on Kingsley Suamataia Benching