The Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive interior has been a dominant unit for years, with Pro Bowl center Creed Humphrey anchoring the middle next to Trey Smith and Joe Thuney. This season, however, the Chiefs tried to overhaul the bookends to better protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes, which changed the makeup from left to right.
After two frustrating games to open the 2025 season, including a 20-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the team's home opener, the Chiefs' offense has come under fire following a flat first half in Week 1 and a miserable effort in Week 2. Part of the blame for the poor offensive performances falls on the offensive line.
Humphrey says Kansas City's issues in the trenches are more about execution than talent. “I think it boils down to just continuing to work on fundamentals,” [Humphrey said after Wednesday’s practice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHEC41vOT_M)."
The Chiefs' center spoke about the team's offensive frustrations in his media comments.
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“There are things we’re missing fundamentally and things that, you know, awareness-wise that we just got to clean up. It’s closer than what it feels like to being really good.”
Humphrey, a 2021 second-round pick out of Oklahoma, has already built an impressive résumé in Kansas City. He’s a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion who is widely regarded as the best center in the NFL. Given his body of experience, Humphrey knows what it takes to excel up front, and he says the fresh faces just need time together.
“There are new guys up front right now,” Humphrey said. “We’re working through some things. So just continuing to get reps together, continuing to focus on the fundamentals, focus on the film work, all those things.
"We have a ton of talent in the room right now. As we grow as a unit, things are going to get better. So just keep improving each week.”
The “new guys up front” include rookie first-round pick Josh Simmons and second-year lineman Kingsley Suamataia, both of whom are still settling in. Humphrey specifically praised their effort and growth in his comments to the press.
“They’re both improving each week,” Humphrey said. “They’re coming in with the right mindset, working on the things they need to work on. They’ve gotten better throughout the past two weeks and we continue to hope to see a good jump from them. But, you know, they’re coming in, they’re playing their tails off.”
The Chiefs’ offense has yet to find its rhythm, but Humphrey’s confidence remains steady. As injured players return and green players become more comfortable in their roles, Humphrey has no doubt the Chiefs will right the ship with plenty of time left in a long NFL season.