Andy Reid Delivers Strong Message to Rookie Starter After Abruptly Benching Him

The Kansas City Chiefs were able to will their way to victory against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, but Andy Reid may have sparked a new position battle after abruptly benching a rookie starter.

The Chiefs struggled against an aggressive Bengals defensive line in the 26-25 win, especially defensive end Trey Hendrickson who spent much of the day in the Kansas City backfield. The struggles led Reid to bench rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia after a brutal stretch in the fourth quarter where he surrendered a sack and then was whistled for a holding penalty.

After the game, Reid delivered a message to the second-round pick, saying he hoped it would be a learning experience.

"Kingsley (Suamataia), he's going against arguably one of the best defensive ends in the league," Reid said . "It'll be a great experience that he can put away and hear him learn from. And I ended up taking him out of the game. Sometimes you've got to take a step back to take a step forward."

Reid also gave a nod to Suamataia's replacement, Wanya Morris, who held steady as the Chiefs drove for the game-winning field goal.

"Wanya (Morris) came in and did a nice job," Reid said. "Now he also had a penalty there. But very seldom are you going to get a guy like that right there that you're playing against, and what you want to do is learn from it and move forward."

Related: Chiefs Defeat Bengals 26-25 with Harrison Butker's 51-Yard Walk-Off Field Goal