Chiefs O-Line Coach Andy Heck ‘By No Means’ Down on Kingsley Suamataia

Despite Kingsley Suamataia's rough game against the Cincinnati Bengals, offensive line coach Andy Heck is giving his rookie some grace.

Sep 11, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Heck against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 2 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the club learned a lot about itself by gutting out a tough victory over a bitter conference rival. In the process, though, they also learned that rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia still has a long way to go in his development.

Matched up against Trey Hendrickson, Suamataia had his worst game as a pro and struggled all afternoon and into the evening. His poor performance led head coach Andy Reid to bench him in favor of Wanya Morris late in the game, allowing the offense to be a bit more secure down the stretch.

After the game, Reid described that as a "great learning experience" for Kansas City's second-round draft pick. Speaking to the media on Thursday, offensive line coach Andy Heck echoed that sentiment and said Suamataia has been hard at work to right his wrongs this week.

“In the second half, he had a couple of breakdowns in technique, and he had one or two mental errors there," Heck said. "I think it was earlier in the game that those occurred, but stuff that he was able to look at, we’re able to make corrections in our meeting and stuff he’s working on this week.”

In addition to having a couple of penalties, Suamataia surrendered multiple pressures and even got quarterback Patrick Mahomes sacked against Cincinnati. The Chiefs may not have offered him chip help as often as they should've, but the rookie struggled regardless. With that said, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise given Hendrickson's pedigree. He's coming off a 17.5-sack season, after all.

Heck says growing pains are inevitable for a first-year tackle, so he isn't giving up on Suamataia in any way.

“Yeah, absolutely," Heck said. "I mean, I think every rookie will go through those ups and downs. Let’s not forget who he’s playing against an elite pass rusher there (in Cincinnati). It’s a good lesson, good opportunity to learn and grow, so by no means am I down on Kingsley, I’ve got a lot of faith in him.”

As the Chiefs prepare for a Sunday Night Football outing against the Atlanta Falcons, there's another considerable challenge waiting for the offensive line. During this week of preparation, Reid has been noncommittal about whether Suamataia or Morris will protect Mahomes on the left side. It makes more sense to roll with the rookie and see if he can bounce back, especially given the organization's resources spent to develop him since April.

Either way, Kansas City is making it clear that there's still confidence in Suamataia.

Read More: Chiefs OC Matt Nagy on Kareem Hunt, Carson Steele, How KC Can Replace Isiah Pacheco