Although it didn’t end up coming back to haunt them in the final score, the Kansas City Chiefs were thrown a curveball prior to their Week 6 game against the Detroit Lions.
Hours before kickoff, it was reported that rookie left tackle Josh Simmons was tending to a personal matter. He wound up missing the contest, thrusting offseason signing Jaylon Moore into action for the first extended stretch of his season.
A 30-17 victory later, and all is well in Kansas City. When will Simmons be back in the fold, though?
Andy Reid Comments on Josh Simmons’ Absence From Week 6 & Looming Return
Speaking to the media after the win, head coach Andy Reid tipped his cap to Moore and offensive line coach Andy Heck for adjusting on the fly.
“Jaylon, I thought, did a nice job,” Reid said. “He just had a baby too, which is a great thing, last night or early this morning â however you want to put it. He stepped in. Josh was gone for personal reasons, so for him to step in was a nice thing and I thought he did a nice job. Attribute [that] to Andy for rolling those guys during the week and getting that part done.”
Reid didn’t commit to a firm timeline regarding Simmons’ return to the team.
“We’ll see,” Reid said. “We’ll see when he’s back. He’s going to take care of that, and we’re going to see where it goes from there. We were aware of it, yeah.”
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes also chimed in on the Simmons situation. The two-time NFL MVP says he didn’t know the team’s first-round pick would miss the game until Sunday afternoon.
“Yeah, I mean, I didn’t fully know,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, we had a walkthrough around noon, 1:00, whatever it was. He wasn’t there, so I knew something was up. Talking with the coaches after, obviously a personal matter.”
This makes two family-related developments involving key Chiefs players early in the season. Prior to Week 3’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, defensive tackle Chris Jones attended a funeral for his late aunt and barely made it back in time for kickoff. Kansas City, unfortunately, is growing familiar with extenuating circumstances.
Chiefs Happy With Offensive Line’s Performance in Big Win Over Lions
While Mahomes was sacked three times in the win, the offensive line generally performed admirably. Reid credited the front five for a job well done, helping pave the way to a comfortable triumph over an elite opponent.
“I agree with that, that they’ve gotten better as we’ve gone on,” Reid said. “The young guys or, in this case, Jaylon jumping in and doing his thing. It’s a good group. They’re physical. I think that if you could take something away from this game, it’s when they bear down, they can bear down. That ends up being important.”
In all, the Chiefs’ offense averaged 6.1 yards per play and amassed 357 total yards. Considering the difficulty of facing the Lions’ front (defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, in particular), Moore and Co. had their work cut out for them.
Mahomes never lost belief in his protectors, even if the most talented one wasn’t present for the game.
“I have all the faith in the world in Jaylon,” Mahomes said. “He came here to do what he did today. Go out there and go up against one of the premier pass rushers in the league, and handle his own. That speaks to his professionalism, getting better and better through work throughout the week and being prepared to play at any moment. He went out and showcased the type of player that he is.”
With a rare noon kickoff against the Las Vegas Raiders on the horizon for next Sunday, Kansas City will shift focus to potentially welcoming Simmons back into the mix.
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