The Kansas City Chiefs will continue to roll with what has been working on the offensive line for the AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills. That means Joe Thuney will remain the team’s starting left tackle while Mike Caliendo slides into the starting left guard position in place of Thuney.
“Look, we’ve been rotating them (Joe Thuney and D.J. Humphries) again, which we do at practice,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid explained on Friday. “But it’ll probably end up being the same, yeah.”
Last week, Reid confirmed that his decision at left tackle was more about Thuney and Caliendo’s familiarity with the scheme, system, and plays. D.J. Humphries’s arrival late in the season and injury-related absence from practice didn’t set him up for success in taking over the starting job as planned.
The decision also had as much to do with Thuney’s performance as it did with how strongly Caliendo played from Week 15 through Week 17 and again in the AFC divisional round. He allowed 11 total pressures and no sacks, allowing no pressures in his first start and no more than four pressures in a single game, according to Pro Football Focus.
When asked about what he’s learned about Caliendo in these last few starts, Reid recalled former Chiefs backup OG Nick Allegretti, who is playing in the NFC Championship Game with the Washington Commanders this weekend.
“Not much seems to rattle him (Mike Caliendo),” Reid said. “He’s a smart kid, and kind of gets in and does his job. (You) saw what (Washington Commanders G Nick) Allegretti did last year (after) stepping in, and I think he just handles it. If he’s going, then he’s going.”
As it turns out, Caliendo has a lot of Allegretti to his game. The two players did work together for two years in the system, so it shouldn’t be too surprising. Caliendo can play all three of the interior offensive line positions, and he’s a lunch-pail-type player with a can-do attitude. Hopefully, Caliendo can also prove to be the stalwart that Allegretti was for the Chiefs in the playoffs just last year.
Allegretti ended up starting instead of Thuney in the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LVIII due to injury. Allegretti even battled through his own UCL injury to finish Super Bowl 58. Caliendo is on the same track, even working through a shoulder injury this week. He can carry that mantle in Kansas City, but only if he consistently protects Patrick Mahomes against a stout Buffalo Bills front to help the Chiefs to Super Bowl LIX.
