Chiefs Lose Key Patrick Mahomes Protector Right Before Seahawks Clash

The Kansas City Chiefs have once again looked like Super Bowl contenders through the start of the 2026 NFL season, winning their first five games to move to 5-0 and sit atop the AFC.

The offense looks sharp under Patrick Mahomes and star running back Kenneth Walker, while the defense has stepped up in key moments to keep their unbeaten run going.

But the Chiefs have also had a relatively easy early schedule, with their wins coming against the Broncos, Colts, Dolphins, Raiders, and Chargers, with Denver being the only team of the bunch that currently holds a winning record. Miami and Los Angeles still haven't won a game, and Kansas City only narrowly edged out the Las Vegas (30-27) and Indianapolis (33-30).

Next up comes their biggest test yet, as the Chiefs travel to Lumen Field to face the defending champion Seahawks on Sunday night. Unfortunately, the team just received some brutal injury news on left tackle Josh Simmons.

Kansas City has officially placed Simmons on injured reserve due to a bulging disc in his lower back. Simmons hasn't played a game yet in the 2026 season and will now miss at least the next four.

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Simmons was selected 32nd overall by the Chiefs in the 2025 NFL Draft with the aim of providing Mahomes with an elite blindside blocker for the next decade. He made a promising start to his rookie season, starting eight games before a wrist injury cut his season short. He also missed time due to personal reasons.

He was expected to regain the starting role this season and establish himself as one of the better young offensive tackles in football, but his back injury has kept him out since training camp. The Chiefs have taken a cautious approach to his recovery, as Simmons only recently returned to limited practice. But he clearly hasn't progressed nearly as well as the team had hoped.

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The biggest concern is protecting Mahomes, who's coming off a torn ACL and LCL from last season. He's looked good through the start of this season, but he's also a 31-year-old quarterback who just suffered the first serious injury of his NFL career. Left tackle is a key position for a right-handed quarterback, and the pressure again will fall on undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson to hold down that side of the line.