Just like that, the Kansas City Chiefs‘ 2025 preseason slate is a thing of the past. Andy Reid’s team completed its three-game stretch by posting an 0-3 record, but rest assured knowing that isn’t a precursor for the regular season.
A 29-27 loss to the Chicago Bears saw the visitors score 19 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to steal a victory. Despite that, the home team flashed plenty of positives in front of their own crowd.
The first-team offense and rookie left tackle Josh Simmons were efficient once again. Following Friday night’s game, Reid spoke to the media about his club’s performance.
Andy Reid Praises Josh Simmons & Chiefs’ Offensive Line After Preseason Finale
Fresh off an end to the preseason, Reid gave yet another glowing review of the Chiefs’ first-round pick.
“Without looking at the tape, I think Josh was solid in the run game and the pass game,” Reid said. “Against good players â those are good players that they have, good rushers. I think he held his own there.”
Mark this down as a vote of confidence for Simmons, as if he needed one. Since being selected 32nd overall back in April’s NFL Draft, the Ohio State Buckeyes product has garnered quite a bit of praise. His own teammates are making soft comparisons to San Francisco 49ers superstar Trent Williams, which doesn’t happen on accident.
To kick off the month of August, Simmons and Reid both provided a good progress report. The productive days and outings continue stacking up. If there was any doubt left regarding the rookie starting Week 1, it should be extinguished now.
Reid also took time to praise the rest of the first-string offensive line. The quartet of Kingsley Suamataia, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith and Jawaan Taylor did well protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“I thought the offensive line did a nice job [and] gave Pat time,” Reid said. “We were efficient in the run game, so it starts up there. I thought the receivers caught the ball, tight ends caught the ball. Everybody contributed. Pat looked smooth and confident [and has] trust in that group. I thought it was a pretty smooth operation for tonight. I mean, it’s preseason, but a smooth operation. We needed to get some reps there, and we got some reps.”
Kansas City Escapes Preseason Without Adding Injuries to Total
Another key development for the Chiefs, albeit in a loss, was the absence of injuries on Saturday. The preseason already saw several players go down, including safety Deon Bush (Achilles) and defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah (hamstring). Both of those players are out for the year before the regular season even begins. Avoiding anything of that nature on Friday is a massive plus.
Kansas City was also nursing several other injuries, recoveries or ongoing load management plans. One of them was with Taylor, who has had some work done on his knee months ago but got added back into the fold slowly. Veteran wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown made progress this week with his ankle injury but sat out of yet another preseason game.
A handful of Chiefs missed Friday’s game: offensive tackle Ethan Driskell (appendectomy), tight end Jake Briningstool (hamstring), receiver Jalen Royals (knee), defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott (ankle), linebacker Jack Cochrane (knee), cornerback Nazeeh Johnson (shoulder) and safety Mike Edwards (hamstring). Fortunately for the reigning AFC champions, none of these issues is worth worrying about just yet.
The Chiefs’ focus now shifts to cutting their roster down to 53 players and a 16-man (or 17-man) practice squad.
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