KANSAS CITY CHIEFS rookie Josh Simmons will miss Sunday’s showdown with the Las Vegas Raiders after being absent from practice all week due to a personal issue.

The 22-year-old offensive tackle, in his first year out of Ohio State, has not trained once this week and was officially ruled out on the team’s injury report.

Simmons has been listed as “not injury related, personal” with head coach Andy Reid confirming the absence is due to a “family situation.”

No further details have been provided and the Chiefs have stayed tight lipped.

According to Reid: “General manager Brett Veach is handling everything.”

Speculation about Simmons’ situation has been swirling on social media ever since he was ruled out of last week’s game against the Detroit Lions just hours before kick-off.

That mystery only deepened as the young lineman failed to appear at practice in the days that followed, fuelling more rumours.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was asked about his teammate’s absence this week but kept things private.

He said: “I’ll keep conversations between us.

“But I’m always praying for him… for all my teammates.”

With Simmons sidelined again, veteran Jaylon Moore is set to fill in at tackle, tasked with keeping Mahomes upright as Kansas City look to move above 500 for the first time this season.

The game also marks the return of wide receiver Rashee Rice, who is available after serving a six-game suspension.

For now, Simmons’ return date remains unclear with the Chiefs keeping details under wraps.

The Chiefs are 3-3 headed into their Week 7 clash with the Raiders.

Kansas City looked impressive in brushing aside the Detroit Lions last time out.

Better protection for quarterback Mahomes was a key area to improve on in the offseason.

The Chiefs used their first-round NFL Draft pick this year on Simmons in an attempt to address the issue.