As the Kansas City Chiefs begin another week of practice in preparation for hosting the Indianapolis Colts, a limited offense will be the focal point when looking at the team's injury report.
Coming into Week 12, the Chiefs already made it clear that Kingsley Suamataia is going to be out until he is cleared to return. Currently in the team's concussion protocol, Suamataia is seeking medical attention for a head injury suffered when he hit the turf following an interception thrown by Patrick Mahomes at a critical point during the Chiefs' loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 11.
The team's starting left guard, Suamataia's absence was filled by Mike Caliendo in the second half of the game—a trend that's likely to continue going forward since Caliendo is next on the depth chart at both guard positions. Earlier this year, Caliendo filled in for an ailing Trey Smith at right guard when back spasms made it impossible to play.
The good news is that Suamataia is reportedly "doing well", according to Andy Reid. The Chiefs' head coach held a media session on Wednesday and addressed injuries going into the first practice before Week 12. "Kingsley won’t practice, but he’s doing well. He had a concussion, and he’s doing pretty good right now," said Reid.
The Chiefs offense is dealing with some pivotal injuries as they start to prepare for Week 12.
No timeline was given for Suamataia, and the variables involved with any head injury make it impossible to tell how long the second-year lineman might be out. But the Chiefs are going to play it safe and make sure Suamataia is healthy for the long term before asking him to come back. That said, the team could also open up a roster spot if they thought he would be out for a while and they've not yet made such a decision.
As for other injuries, the only other name mentioned by Reid was Xavier Worthy. The former first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft has dealt with injuries to both his shoulder and ankle so far this season, and it's clear the latter is still an ongoing concern. "Xavier tweaked his ankle a little bit. He did the walkthrough. We’ll see about practice as we go forward here," said Reid.
Worthy felt like a safe bet as a breakout player in his second season in the NFL after putting up sensational numbers down the stretch. In the postseason alone, Worthy led all pass catchers with 19 catches for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns. Such stellar production near the end of his rookie year set him up for a breakthrough campaign in '25, but a torn labrum suffered on the third play from scrimmage in Week 1 set the tone for a year plagued by injuries.
The Chiefs will undoubtedly be watching the status of both players closely as kickoff approaches for the showdown against the 8-2 Indianapolis Colts. The Chiefs are going to need to score plenty of points to keep up with Jonathan Taylor and company, which means keeping fingers crossed for at least Worthy to be okay.