Strange Chiefs Decision vs. Bills Raises Questions About Draft Pick

The Kansas City Chiefs were brought back to earth on Sunday with a 30-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. The Chiefs' perfect season is officially over with the loss, meaning Andy Reid & Co must figure out how to bounce back before focusing on a potential third straight Super Bowl victory.

One way the defending champions can turn things around is by solving their starting left tackle issue. Veteran Wanya Morris and rookie Kingsley Suamataia have both struggled in the role, resulting in the latter being a healthy scratch for the very first time in Week 11.

Now that the Chiefs have tasted defeat, people are wondering if scratching the first-year blocker was a good idea.

Chiefs News: Was Scratching Kingsley Suamataia the Correct Call?

It isn't a secret that the Chiefs' LT play has left much to be desired throughout the season. Protecting Patrick Mahomes is always the No. 1 goal, however, that becomes increasingly difficult whenever Morris and Suamataia are playing below expectations — which has happened more often than not.

Morris is currently Pro Football Focus' No. 63-graded tackle out of 78 eligible players, playing to a 57.3 offense grade after allowing 21 total pressures while taking seven penalties. Meanwhile, Suamataia has been much worse with a mark of 36.8 and hasn't even started a game since Week 2.

But even if Morris and Suamataia have struggled, scratching the rookie — who was drafted 63rd overall in April — seemed like a half-baked idea. Not only could such a move disrupt chemistry in a must-win game vs. the Bills, but the Chiefs were already thin at left tackle, and removing the ex-BYU blocker gave Reid's staff one less option to work with.

Looking to solidify the left side of their offensive line, the Chiefs used a 2024 second-round pick on Suamataia earlier this year. The 6-foot-5 tackle displayed a ton of potential during his time with the Cougars, which included being named to last year's All-Big 12 second team.

Even if Suamataia needs time to reach his ceiling, he's going to have a tough time getting there even if he isn't given consistent playing time. The Orem, UT native has played four or fewer offensive snaps in six of his last seven games and the only exception during that stretch came when he filled in for an injured Morris against the Denver Broncos in Week 10.

It'll be interesting to see what the Chiefs have planned for Suamataia after keeping him out of Sunday's loss. They're going to need all hands on deck during the season's final stretch, meaning they might not have a choice but to throw the rookie LT into the deep end to see how he swims.

Suamataia's next chance to suit up will come against the Carolina Panthers on the road in Week 12. He could wind up seeing plenty of opportunities to succeed given that the Chiefs are currently 10.5-point favorites over the Panthers, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

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