KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Starting Sunday night against the Houston Texans, the Kansas City Chiefs will be without rookie left tackle Josh Simmons, the team’s first-round pick, for at least the next four games. Coach Andy Reid shared Wednesday that Simmons had surgery earlier this week to repair his dislocated and fractured left wrist, an injury that will force him to be placed on the injured reserve list.
Simmons sustained his injury last week when he collided with running back Kareem Hunt, who was attempting a chip-block on defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, late in the third quarter of the Chiefs’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
“We’ll just see about the recovery on that, where it goes from there,” Reid said of Simmons. “The kid loves to play. He’s down about that part, but he’s upbeat [because] the surgery went well, which was a real positive. He feels good about that. It’s just a matter of coming back. He’s a worker. Whatever he can do to rehab it, he’s going to do it.”
Prior to his injury, Simmons allowed a pressure rate of just 6.6%, the third-lowest mark among left tackles and the second lowest by a rookie left tackle since 2018 (minimum 150 pass blocks), according to Next Gen Stats.
“He’s a tremendously talented player,” center Creed Humphrey said of Simmons. “He’s great at a lot of things. For him, it’s just being able to be consistent. He’s done a great job for us, and I’m excited to see what he does in the future.”
Without Simmons, Reid said the Chiefs could turn to Wanya Morris, a three-year player, to be the lineman most in charge of protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ blind side.
The Chiefs could also be without right tackle Jawaan Taylor and right guard Trey Smith for Sunday’s game. Both players missed Wednesday’s on-field work, as Taylor missed the second half against the Cowboys with a sustained strained left triceps and Smith didn’t play against last week because of a sprained right ankle, an injury he sustained in the win against the Indianapolis Colts.
If Taylor is not available, the Chiefs are expected to turn to Jaylon Moore, a five-year player who earlier this season filled in at left tackle when Simmons missed four games for what the team called a “family situation.” Against the Cowboys, Mike Caliendo started at right guard in place of Smith.
Mahomes led the Chiefs to two touchdown drives in the second half against the Cowboys with Moore as his right tackle and Morris as the left tackle. But the Chiefs expect to face a stronger challenge against the Texans defense, a unit that leads the NFL in scoring (16.5 points per game) and total defense (265.7 yards allowed per game), and has a league-best 10 games in allowing 20 points or fewer.
“They are guys that have played, so obviously we’ll go through the week and see where you’re at with the guys that are a little banged up,” Mahomes said of his linemen. He added of the Texans: “But you’ve got to give respect where it’s deserved. Those guys have a great defensive line. We’ll try to do the best we can to get the ball out of my hand and running the ball. Whenever there are shots downfield, you’ve got to be able to hit them.”
Sunday’s game for the Chiefs will essentially serve as a playoff game. Mahomes acknowledged last week that the Chiefs need to win each of their final five games of the regular season to improve their chances of reaching the postseason. With a 6-6 record and outside the AFC’s playoff picture, the Chiefs have a 47% chance of clinching a postseason berth, according to ESPN Analytics. All five games remaining on the Chiefs’ schedule are against AFC opponents, too.
Throughout his eight-year career, Mahomes has scrambled more in postseason games to give the Chiefs’ offense an additional advantage against worthy opponents. With the potential of having a possible makeshift offensive line Sunday against the Texans — featuring pass rushers such as Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter — Mahomes could have to scramble early and often out of the pocket. He has already recorded 348 rushing yards and a career-high four rushing touchdowns this season.
“You’re going to have to utilize everything, not just my legs,” Mahomes said. “You have to utilize everything you have to go out there and win. We’re going to have to throw it all out there. This will be a big game for us to showcase who we are and who we think we can be moving on the rest of this season.”