Ahead of their Week 11 showdown against the Denver Broncos, the Kansas City Chiefs got a big-time boost in the personnel department. After an extended absence, rookie left tackle Josh Simmons returned to the lineup.
It was a quick-developing situation after Simmons got back to Kansas City around the club’s Week 10 bye. Head coach Andy Reid and his staff evaluated him throughout the week of practice, ultimately opting to start him over Jaylon Moore on Sunday.
Although that decision didn’t lead to a Chiefs win, did it pan out from an individual standpoint? Reid explained on Monday afternoon.
Andy Reid Reviews Josh Simmons’ Performance in Week 11 Return
Speaking to the media, Reid elaborated on what went into assessing Simmons during the week, as well as how he fared in Denver. While the first-round pick’s showing wasn’t perfect, Reid tipped his cap to the rookie anyway.
“Some of it was just where he was physically,” Reid said. “Some of it was, where are you mentally, can can you handle where we’re at here four weeks later with what we’re doing? I thought he handled that well as he went through the week. We got out of the game, he handled it well. He had a couple of penalties there that he’s got to clean up, but that was a pretty big assignment he had with those two defensive ends. I thought he did a respectable job there.”
Preliminary data from Pro Football Focus echoed Reid’s sentiments. The outlet gave Simmons a healthy 73.1 pass blocking mark in 49 opportunities. His 4 pressures allowed, however, matched a season-high. The last time the Ohio State product yielded that many was Week 1, his first game as a pro.
Simmons was also flagged three times in Sunday’s 22-19 loss. In the second quarter of play, he committed holding on a first-and-10. That drive ended in a field goal. Later in the frame, a false start led to a first-and-15 and, a few plays later, the end of the half. In the fourth quarter, A holding penalty on Simmons was declined because quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ pass was incomplete anyway.
Per NFL Pro, Mahomes was pressured on 28.6% of his dropbacks in Week 11. Simmons should get a chunk of the blame, but the Chiefs have bigger problems to solve, especially with left guard Kingsley Suamataia now in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
All in all, it wasn’t a bad reintroduction for the first-year man.
Reid Emphasizes Clear Path Forward for Chiefs After Brutal Loss
Of course, the Sunday defeat brings Kansas City down to 5-5 on the season. Reid’s team can pretty much forget about completing a comeback to win the AFC West. Now, focus shifts to simply making the playoffs.
It’s unfamiliar territory in some ways, but the Chiefs have been in somewhat similar positions a couple of times. In 2021, they were 3-4 at one point and crawled all the way out of that hole to finish the year 12-5. In 2023, a Christmas Day loss to the Las Vegas Raiders marked five shortcomings in an eight-game span, putting them at 9-6 after a 6-1 start. This franchise has responded to adversity before.
Reid believes a course correction begins with looking in the mirror and taking care of details.
“You have to take care of the small things,” Reid said. “And that’s coaches included. Whether it’s volume, whether it’s fundamentals, you’ve got to take care of the small things. When I tell you I’m responsible for that, I’m responsible for that, and then the players have to do the same thing. Take care of the small things. Why are we having the penalties? And then let’s fix that, don’t point to the officials, don’t point here or there. Take responsibility for it.”
There’s no better way to get back on track than a more spirited performance on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
“I mentioned that to them after the game, actually,” Reid said. “What can you do? You can do and get yourself ready to play Indianapolis, that’s what you can do. Everything else is evolved with a crystal ball, but you can take care of today, tomorrow and the following day. Let’s start there.”
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