Patrick Mahomes and the 6-6 Kansas City Chiefs essentially need to win out in order to earn a postseason berth. And with five regular-season games remaining in 2025, that road just got a lot more difficult.
On Wednesday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid announced that starting left tackle Josh Simmons underwent surgery on his wrist and will be placed on injured reserve. This decision rules Simmons out for at least the next four games, making his first opportunity to return to the field a Week 18 matchup against the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders.
When asked on Wednesday, Reid did not rule out the possibility of Simmons returning for the final game of the regular season.
Simmons, the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick in 2025, played well in his eight games as a starter for the Chiefs in his rookie season — protecting Mahomes’ blindside from the left tackle position. He dislocated and fractured his left wrist during the third quarter of Kansas City’s Week 13 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day.
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Simmons missed four games due to a personal matter earlier this year. During that span, Jaylon Moore started at left tackle for the Chiefs. With Moore playing right tackle in place of an injured Jawaan Taylor in Week 13, Wanya Morris stepped in for Simmons after his exit on Thanksgiving Day.
Mahomes has already been sacked 27 times through the first 12 games of the 2025 season. Before this year’s campaign, he’d only reached that mark on three occasions in his first eight seasons.
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The Chiefs will look to get their disappointing season back on track when they face off against the Houston Texans in a primetime “Sunday Night Football” matchup in Week 14. Kansas City will then play the Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos without Simmons on the field.