The Kansas City Chiefs received the opening kickoff in the big-time AFC West bout against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon. When the offense took the field, it was noticeable that the left guard position was filled by a surprising name.
Veteran backup lineman Mike Caliendo started at left guard in place of third-year player Kingsley Suamataia, who was not on the injury report at any point this week. It is Caliendo’s eighth career start, all with the Chiefs. Suamataia has manned the position since the beginning of the 2025 season.
At the end of the first quarter, Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star reported that the swap “is a coaching decision” and not related to any injury, according to the team.
On Kansas City’s opening set of plays, a second-down handoff was disrupted and stopped by the defender that Caliendo was blocking. After a successful fake punt kept the Chiefs’ opening drive alive, the Raiders stuffed two consecutive runs on third and fourth down, needing two yards.
Suamataia has been playing well this season, and there’s reason to believe his absence at the start of the game hurt the offense’s effectiveness.
