Chiefs Face Uncertainty With LT Josh Simmons’ Absence as Week 7 Raiders Clash Looms

KANSAS CITY — The Chiefs entered October believing they’d solved one of their toughest puzzles: protecting Patrick Mahomes’ blind side. Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons, the No. 31 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, had started the first five games and posted one of the top rookie pass-blocking grades in the league. The line looked steadier, the pockets cleaner, and the offense more rhythmic.

Then, hours before kickoff in Detroit, the plan unraveled.

Roughly five hours before Sunday’s game, Simmons was added to the injury report as questionable. An hour later, he was ruled out—listed under “personal reasons.” By day’s end, reporting indicated the 21-year-old had left for California and, critically, that the team did not have a firm timetable for his return. Head coach Andy Reid deferred comment to general manager Brett Veach, an unusual handoff for a matter typically handled within the coaching sphere. Patrick Mahomes said he was keeping their conversations in-house and added that he was praying for his teammate.

Publicly, that is where the clarity ends. Privately, the stakes are obvious. Simmons’ fast start has materially improved Kansas City’s protection. His absence forces a recalibration at a position that rarely affords quick, painless fixes.

For now, the Chiefs are doing the one thing they can control: stabilizing the edge with veteran depth. Jaylen Moore drew the emergency duty against the Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson and, despite surrendering pressures and a pair of sacks, kept the offense functional in a difficult assignment. In Detroit’s noise and against an elite rusher, “functional” is a kind of victory. The Chiefs will need more of it.

The organization has offered no details beyond the “personal” designation, and there is no indication of disciplinary action. Speculation has swirled online, but there is no factual basis to support it. The two truths that matter today are simple: the player’s well-being comes first, and the football operation must adapt until there is news.

What “Veach Is Handling It” Might Mean

Reid’s deference to Veach invites reasonable questions. In past personal matters—such as Chris Jones’ brief absence for a family funeral—the club communicated plainly and promptly. In this case, the GM’s involvement could signal anything from logistics to potential roster mechanisms, including a short-term stint on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list if circumstances require time away. That move would cost at least four games. Emphasis on could: without confirmation, reading beyond that is guesswork.

The only responsible posture is patience—and contingency planning.

Week 7: Raiders Week, With or Without Simmons

The calendar offers no sympathy. Kansas City faces Las Vegas on Sunday in a rivalry that rarely respects records. The Raiders are 2–4 under new head coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Geno Smith, who has struggled with turnovers. They rank 29th in scoring and 23rd in points allowed, a combination that explains their hole. But rivalry games punch above their weight, and Max Crosby can wreck an afternoon all by himself.

On offense, the Raiders’ best pure weapon may be rookie TE Brock Bowers, who is already drawing top-tier coverage attention. There are questions at receiver—Jacobi Meyers’ status bears monitoring amid injury notes and trade chatter—and a heavy workload for rookie RB Ashton Jeanty behind a battered line. The matchup math still leans Kansas City’s way almost everywhere: quarterback, receivers, offensive line (even shorthanded), linebackers, corners, and safeties. Las Vegas owns the edge on the defensive line thanks to Crosby’s singular disruption.

For the Chiefs, the plan is familiar: protect Mahomes well enough to let the route concepts develop, force Geno Smith to string clean drives against a defense that thrives on disguises, and avoid the self-inflicted errors that give underdogs oxygen. If Moore starts again at left tackle, expect help—chips, slides, tight end nudges—to blunt Crosby’s angles, and a heavy early diet of rhythm throws to keep the rush from teeing off.

Big Picture

Simmons’ situation introduces human concern and competitive uncertainty into a season that had begun to cohere up front. The franchise’s tone—tight-lipped, deferential to the player, and operationally cautious—suggests the Chiefs are trying to preserve both. Until there is news, the only checklist that matters is short and sober:

Is Josh Simmons okay?

Can the line hold serve while he’s away?

Kansas City has earned the benefit of the doubt on question two. On question one, the only decent answer is hope.

Projection: Chiefs 35, Raiders 21. The roster gap and quarterback advantage should prevail, provided Kansas City manages Crosby and wins the turnover margin.