Disappointed Patrick Mahomes “Fed Up” as Chiefs’ Cost-Cutting Strategy Exposed by Kansas City Analyst

Despite an 11-1 record to start the season, the Chiefs still have questions over the left tackle situation. The Chiefs have gone from Kingsley Suamataia as a starter in the role, then gave Wanya Morris a chance and finally moved Joe Thuney. But nothing seems to have worked and this was evident in the game against the Raiders leaving Patrick Mahomes frustrated. So why haven’t the Chiefs invested heavily to solve the problem at left tackle, especially since they are going for a historic 3-peat?

In the game against the Raiders, Morris allowed three sacks and was benched in the fourth quarter. Mahomes was left unprotected for most of the game and was sacked five times for the second consecutive week. This brought his season total to 32 sacks already, a career-high. Comparatively, he was sacked 27 times last season and 26 times the year before. No wonder it is a pain point for Andy Reid.

Talking on the KC Sports Network, (KCSN), the analysts, revealed the approach that the Chiefs have taken to fill the left tackle position and how it is hurting them and Mahomes. Kent Swanson mentioned, “They let these two young guys try to develop. They’re trying to find a left tackle of the future at a very cost-effective approach. That’s what they are trying to do here. They wanna be able to be cheap at the left tackle spot, so they have thrown some numbers at it to see if they can. They’ve had to bench both of the guys that have been candidates.”

Andy Reid has had to bench two of his left tackle starters at different times this season. He started the season with rookie second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia at LT but he was dropped from the lineup during a Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals and hasn’t started since. Second-year third-rounder Wanya Morris was called in as his replacement but was removed during the Raiders game with Reid turning to veteran guard Joe͏ Thuney at the spot.

During the game against the Raiders, after a third-and-goal sack that saw Morris being easily beaten by the opposing pass rusher, Mahomes’s frustration was visible. This was the theme of the afternoon with the protection in front of him breaking down and he was constantly under pressure, making for some uncomfortable pockets in the second half.

This led another analyst, Matt Lane to comment, “Patrick Mahomes is getting fed up with it. Patrick Mahomes was getting very tired of what was going on over there to the point at one point in time, he yells and the mic picks it up, ‘its the same f*****g move.’ Like he in the pocket, out of his peripheral vision is seeing the same guy lose to the same move over and over again to where he is just yelling it out into the air. He doesn’t even walk off like he is p****d anymore, he walks off like he’s just disappointed and so over the entire concept. I don’t see how the continue to roll out with the left tackle play they have.”

Well, Lane was right to an extent and Reid and Co. aren’t just sitting around and doing nothing about the problem. Back in November, when Andy Reid was asked about a potential addition to solve the LT crisis, he said that he wanted to ” focus in on these kids that are here.” But with no end in sight to their problem, the Chiefs signed former Cardinals offensive tackle D.J. Humphries on November 25.

In fact, after recovering from his torn ACL, which he suffered late last season, Humphries is already in line to start the Week 14 game against the Chargers on Sunday.

Talking further about the situation at LT with Humphries in the picture, Swanson added, “That’s why D.J. Humphries came back into the mix here

This frustration extends beyond the line. The Chiefs have seen several key departures over the past year, including linebacker Cole Christiansen, who played a significant role on special teams. Christiansen was released to free up cap space, and though he might return to the practice squad, his exit symbolizes Kansas City’s ongoing financial balancing act.

While the Chiefs managed to make some impressive moves, like acquiring DeAndre Hopkins and restructuring right tackle Jawaan Taylor’s contract, Mahomes’ growing irritation highlights a deeper issue. However, the Chiefs QB is hopeful of a turnaround with Humphries looking to take over the LT duties.

Patrick Mahomes eager to play with Humphries

The Kansas City Chiefs have ͏en͏joy͏ed a strong se͏ason, ͏but their journey has been anything but ͏smo͏ot͏h. One ͏pre͏ss͏ing concern lies in th͏e͏ Ch͏ie͏fs’ offensive line,͏ pa͏rticularly ͏at left tackl͏e͏. ͏Inc͏onsistent ͏performance from playe͏rs li͏ke Kingsley Suamataia a͏nd Wanya Mor͏ris ͏has left Patrick ͏Ma͏homes un͏der mounti͏ng p͏ressure. Despite͏ these challenges, Mahom͏e͏s͏ rema͏ins͏ ͏opti͏mistic, stating, “I trust whoever’s ͏o͏ut there. It’s a͏bout͏ sticking to th͏e process and executin͏g when it matt͏ers.”

After the news about D.J. Humphries in line to start against the Chargers, Mahomes is looking forward to seeing him in action. “You see how talented he is. The physical gifts are there. It’s been cool to watch him interact with other guys, too. You can tell he’s smart, he’s willing to teach guys, which is big in that room, we’ve got a lot of young guys there. I’ve been very impressed, and I’m excited for him to get more and more work with more and more practice, and hopefully be ready to go as soon as possible.”

Injuries have further complicated the Chiefs’ season, sidelining key players like Hollywood Brown and reshaping the roster. With rookies stepping into larger roles, growing pains have been inevitable. While Mahomes has been supportive of his young teammates, he hasn’t shied away from acknowledging missed opportunities caused by inexperience.

As the Chiefs continue their campaign, their ability to address these challenges will determine how far they can go in their pursuit of another championship.