Chiefs’ Josh Simmons misses game against Lions due to family situation
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs were missing left tackle Josh Simmons for their Sunday night game against the Detroit Lions after the first-round pick had to travel home to California to deal with what the team called a family situation.
Jaylon Moore slid into the starting lineup as the blind-side protector for Patrick Mahomes.
Simmons has exceeded almost every expectation the Chiefs had for him when they chose him with the 32nd overall pick in the April. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound left tackle missed most of last season at Ohio State after surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon, and the uncertainty over whether Simmons would make it back caused his draft stock to drop.
Not only did he make it back, Simmons earned the starting job early in camp and never let go. He started each of the first five games this season, and had drawn rave reviews from Mahomes and Chiefs coach Andy Reid.
The Chiefs signed Moore to a two-year, $30 million contract in March, before they were able to get Simmons in the draft. He had played well as a backup in San Francisco and the Chiefs thought he was capable of being a starter.
The banged-up Lions had cornerback Kerby Joseph and safety Brian Branch available after they had been listed as questionable on the final injury report. Joseph missed practice with a knee injury and Branch had been dealing with an ankle issue.
Wide receiver Kalif Raymond also was available after he was limited in practice with a neck injury.
But they were still without their own left tackle, Taylor Decker, who did not practice all week after missing last Sunday’s game against Cincinnati with a shoulder injury. And with Giovanni Manu going on IR with a knee injury this week, the Lions planned to have 31-year-old Dan Skipper make just the 12th start of his eight-year NFL career.
The Lions already have starting cornerback D.J. Reed on the injured list with a hamstring problem, and fellow starter Terrion Arnold (shoulder) and backup Avonte Maddux (hamstring) were ruled out earlier this week.
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