The Kansas City Chiefs playoff hopes took a significant hit with the announcement that left tackle Josh Simmons is now on IR after undergoing successful surgery on his dislocated left wrist.
The move wasn’t unexpected, and neither is the surgery. Coach Andy Reid tried to slow crawl the news during his comments to the media on Monday, as Reid tried the rope-a-dope “we’ll have to see” approach to Simmons' situation.
This was at least mildly amusing because of how expected the news about Simmons was, but you can’t blame Reid for trying. He’s got a team stuck at 6-6 that’s almost out of the playoffs, but Reid is still insisting there’s a chance the Chiefs could go on a run and make the playoffs, even if it does seem like he’s trying to convince himself at times.
Reid has other problems on the offensive line that are a major concern as well. As Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk noted, right tackle Jawaan Taylor is also dealing with a triceps injury, and left guard Trey Smith is dealing with ankle and back injuries. Neither lineman practiced on Wednesday, and they’re availability for Kansas City’s tough Sunday night game with the Houston Texans remains up in the air, but at least this one’s at home.
The Chiefs coach also tried to talk up the subs who will be stepping in on Sunday. Lineman Wayne Morris will start at left tackle, with fellow lineman Jaylon Moore getting the nod at right tackle. Moore has seen action before in these kinds of scenarios, as he started at left tackle back when Simmons left the team to deal with a personal matter.
The other player who won’t practice today is defensive back Chris Roland-Wallace, who’s dealing with a back issue. The corresponding move with Simmons going on IR was the signing of tackle Esa Pole to the 53-man roster after his stint on the practice squad, so he’ll presumably be the swing tackle backup against the Texans.
How all this affects the Chiefs offense remains to be seen. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was still able to move the ball and score points even with all the in-game injuries, but the degree of difficulty goes up considerably against the Texans. The Chiefs have to win out to have a realistic shot at the playoffs, and the backups will have to get the job done to allow Kansas City to take that first step this week.