Kingsley Suamataia is giving the Chiefs offense a reason to believe
Although the Kansas City Chiefs have faced challenges this season, there have been some bright spots. One of those bright spots is the pass protection for Patrick Mahomes from the offensive line.
Coming into the year, there were major question marks on the offensive line, particularly on the left side, with rookie Josh Simmons set to start at left tackle and second-year tackle convert Kingsley Suamataia projected to slot in at left guard, replacing Joe Thuney. Neither player was an established starter at those positions, so the risk of yet another underwhelming pass-protection season for Patrick Mahomes was a real possibility.
Just five games into the 2025 season, it's clear that pass protection is not the issue for an inconsistent Kansas City offense. Per Pro Football Focus ($), Mahomes has been pressured on just 31.2% of his dropbacks, the sixth-lowest rate among 38 qualified quarterbacks. In 2024, it was 33.0% and tied for the 16th-lowest among 43 qualified quarterbacks.
Kingsley Suamataia has turned his season around after a rough start for the Chiefs
The main reason for the improvement is Josh Simmons, but Kingsley Suamataia starting to figure things out is also a key factor. The first three weeks were rough for Suamataia, as he surrendered one sack and 10 total pressures across 137 pass-blocking snaps, with a 38.4 pass-blocking grade and 95.6 pass-blocking efficiency, per PFF ($).
Over the last two games, those numbers have improved dramatically to just one pressure and zero sacks across 90 pass-blocking snaps, with an 84.1 pass-blocking grade and 99.4 pass-blocking efficiency (PFF [$]). Suamataia's run blocking has been consistent throughout the season and good enough for what the Chiefs like to do, although nothing overwhelmingly positive.
When teams draft offensive linemen in the first two rounds, it's ideal to get a well-rounded blocker who can excel in both the running and passing game, but the latter is more important. As long as an offensive lineman can pass-protect well, they will have a successful NFL career.
It's still early in the season, and two games is a small sample size, but Kingsley Suamataia has played much better over the last couple of weeks. If he can continue this level of play down the stretch, combined with the return of Rashee Rice in Week 7, the Kansas City offense should continue to improve.
The Chiefs have an upcoming matchup with a Detroit Lions defensive line that isn't particularly strong on the interior. While the Lions have a strong edge rush, their defensive tackle group is underwhelming, which should set up another solid performance for the second-year player.
Less than a year ago, many in Chiefs Kingdom feared that Kingsley Suamataia was just another draft bust. Today, he's emerging as a promising guard with a bright future ahead. Although it didn't work out for him at left tackle, landing a starting-caliber guard late in the second round is still a significant win for the team.
Broncos QB Bo Nix Tapped as One of NFL's 'Most Important Players'
Five weeks into the 2025 NFL season, the league appears to be wide open. After the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills fell this past week, there are already zero undefeated teams remaining in the league.
While many of the familiar faces are still the favorites at the top of the league, such as the Bills, Eagles, and Detroit Lions, there doesn't seem to be any overwhelming teams that should bulldoze their way into the Super Bowl this early in the season.
So if the spot at the top of the league is open, why not the Denver Broncos? According to Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt, the Broncos have the pieces to win it all this season.
However, it’s going to come down to the biggest question mark and the most important position in sports: the quarterback. Discussing the NFL's most important players, Brandt said that Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is as likely as any to determine the fate of the league this season.
“I think Bo Nix is one of the most important players in the NFL. He’s very important, pivotal player. If he has 'it,' anything is possible," Brandt said. "If Bo Nix continues to blossom this year, the Broncos could win the Super Bowl this year. They have the coach. They have the defense."
An Inconsistent Start
As Brandt hints, Nix has been somewhat erratic to start his second season in the NFL.
"Can he [Nix] make enough plays? I don’t know. First half (versus the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles) was rough, second half was excellent. I don’t know who he’s going to be. He’s so young in the league. He’s so inexperienced," Brandt said.
After coming off of a statistically impressive rookie season, the former 12th overall pick finds himself near the mid-to-bottom of the league statistically in EPA/Play at 0.074 (ranks 24th out of 37 quarterbacks with at least 50 dropbacks). Nix has a QBR of 55.0 (19th out of the top 32) and a
"If he really has that run that he gets better and better and we’re looking in December like ‘Wow, Nix has really turned the corner,' then Denver is going to be very, very formidable. They are one of those teams that they could win the whole thing. I mean it," Brandt said. "Joe Burrow went to the Super Bowl the second year. It all came together. They are built differently than that (Bengals) team but (Nix) is a very important player. I don’t know who he’s going to be. Who he decides to be is going to determine a lot of fates in the AFC because Denver has got it together.”
The Broncos’ pass success rate of 44.2% is the fly in the ointment, and it's also indicative of a team that needs to be far more consistent on a down-to-down basis going forward. Denver ranks 26th in the league in pass success rate.
Outside of Nix’s ability to avoid sacks and pressure to sack rate, there aren’t too many statistical categories that indicate he has played well through five games this season
Payton's History of Slow Starts
Nix’s less than stellar statistical output to date this year is not all on him. Sean Payton teams have a history of starting slow and every stat in football is a system stat to some extent.
Nothing in football happens in isolation, and anything working is dependent on so many individual variables executing. Still, it's okay to say that Nix needs to play a more consistent brand of football than he's displayed so far in 2025.
Fortunately, there are ample reasons for optimism. On the whole, Nix has seemed to improve each and every week so far.
There are flashes of arm talent, ball placement, and athleticism displayed each week that are indicative of a quarterback who could lead a team of the quality surrounding him very far this year. Furthermore, Nix has the belief of his teammates and coaching staff as well, who have praised his ability, maturity, and leadership at nearly every opportunity presented.
After a rather disappointing rushing output by the Broncos in 2024, despite a quality offensive line, they appear to have ratcheted up their ground attack from poor to average at worst. Further, the Broncos’ offensive line and defense appear to be top-notch once again, and Payton, despite some of the offense’s inconsistencies, is still scheming up chunk-play opportunities and red-zone play designs as well as any offensive mind in the league.
The Takeaway
In the NFL, the quarterback will always receive more praise when things are going well than warranted and more blame when things are going poorly than necessary. Football is the ultimate team game, and Nix is still just five weeks into his second year in the league, playing under one of the most demanding offensive minds in football.
Still, Brandt is likely correct in his analysis. This Broncos team, as long as it remains relatively healthy, does have the coaching and personnel in place to be as good as anyone in football this season.
Just how successful this version of the Broncos can be will depend on how much better Nix can play and where his level of execution ultimately settles as the 2025 season marches on.
