Coach Andy Reid bitterly caution players over O-Line offense during…….Read more

KANSAS CITY — It took until the fourth quarter, when Kansas City was desperately trying to fend off the lowly Las Vegas Raiders, for Chiefs coach Andy Reid to finally make a drastic change to his offensive line.

The Chiefs had tried Kingsley Suamataia at left tackle to start the season. When the rookie was getting beaten routinely for pressure and sacks, they switched to second-year pro Wanya Morris, who fared no better at protecting Patrick Mahomes.

In the waning minutes of a 19-17 victory Friday — one that wasn’t secure until Las Vegas fumbled away a chance at a winning field goal with 15 seconds left — the Chiefs slid All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney out to tackle. Mike Caliendo entered at guard. And while they didn’t have much chance to work together, the move underscored what has been a season-long problem.“That was the right thing to do at the time,” Reid said afterward. “It just solidified things.”

What is the solution moving forward? Well, the Chiefs signed former Pro Bowl left tackle D.J. Humphries last week, but he’s been with the team for only a few days, and he’s also coming off an ACL tear that sidelined him for the entire offseason.

In a perfect world, Humphries would slide into the lineup in time for the Chiefs’ game against the CharIn a more realistic world, the Chiefs may need to make it through another week or two before he’s ready to contribute, and that would mean putting Morris back into the lineup or keeping Thuney protecting Mahomes’ blind side.

“I would tell you it’s disruptive to any offense when the quarterback is hit,” Reid acknowledged, “and not able to get the ball off.”

Mahomes had gone 113 straight starts without being sacked five-plus times in a game; Carolina and Las Vegas have done it in consecutive weeks. And along with the sacks have been penalties on Morris and right tackle Jawaan Taylor, which have made it hard for a Kansas City offense that has had to adapt to injuries all season to consistegers