The Kansas City Chiefs enter their bye week with a perfect 4-0 record. A close win in Las Vegas on Sunday helped the Chiefs remain undefeated and put them atop the AFC and AFC West.
Many players stood out this season, but rookie offensive lineman Kahlil Benson played one of the team’s most important roles.
A standout in training camp, Benson looked primed to compete for the starting right tackle job, but with the return of starter Josh Simmons, Benson started every game at left tackle to begin the 2026 season.
In a rarely seen move, the Chiefs brain trust felt confident enough to align Benson as Patrick Mahomes’ blindside protector after Mahomes suffered a serious knee injury.
So far this season, the Chiefs have one of the most potent offenses in the NFL, and while the team has helped Benson, he has returned the favor and put together a solid tape.
For the game ratings, I divided them into three categories to create an overall rating. My criteria was run blocking, true pass protection, and assisted pass protection.
Pass blocking is as black and white as it gets, but to keep his pass blocking rating from being oversaturated, I’ve included true pass protection, which is traditional passing or plays where Benson is in a classic pass blocking set. Assisted is where I’ve included plays like RPOs, screens, play looks, and other plays that can give offensive linemen easy plays to win.
The Chiefs have used a lot of them, but the true pass blocking grade tells us if Benson has what it takes to continue playing the position in the NFL.
In four weeks – against formidable passers – Benson scored 74% for true pass protectionwith a degree of protection against assisted passage of 85%.
His running game has also been good, scoring 74%. as a run blocker.
Overall, this places its season rating at 77%
The team certainly played to his strengths as a player with quicker passing patterns and a slight improvement in running the football, but Benson fulfilled what he was asked to do this season.
Benson has been solid in pass protection so far this season and has yet to allow a sack.
This is largely due to the Chiefs insisting on getting the ball out of Mahomes’ hands more quickly.
In 2023, Mahomes averaged 2.5 seconds of pocket time per throw, the seventh longest in the NFL.
Three seasons later, Mahomes is at 2.2 seconds in pocket time and below the league average. It took the Chiefs a while to get here, but the emphasis on a quick passing game has helped players like Benson, who rely on their physicality.
Benson wants to earn snaps quickly; this is where he can fully showcase his power. In his first game, he faced one of the best rushers in the NFL, Nik Bonitto.
Bonitto relies on speed and turn and looks to rush wide. Benson is patient out of position, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes only takes three steps, so Benson knows he can move Bonitto aside if necessary.
As the two collide, Benson fires a big shot and blasts Bonitto up the court, finishing him on the ground. The clean pocket gives Mahomes plenty of time to run and pick up yards with his legs.
Benson can have quickness issues at times, but when he gets his hands on a defender, he finishes snaps quickly with powerful grip strength and a solid foundation.
A few snaps per game, Benson shows his deficiencies in pass protection.
Knowing he has issues with the speed of the game — many undrafted rookies do — the Chiefs have been careful to give him help when needed, but one inconsistent area is his striking and hand placement.
Solid out of position, Benson moves out of the way with his hands and gives up his chest to the Edge Rusher. He fails to recover and finds himself on the ground when Mahomes is hit.
Benson’s pass blocking is still a work in progress, but with the new look of the Chiefs offense, his strengths are being maximized, and a lot of that starts with the running game.
Running back Kenneth Walker has been on a rampage this season, and Benson has been instrumental in that with his blocking.
Benson’s strength and power translates well to the new running game, and so far he has delivered on his promise. Although his technique still needs refinement, he plays with a bad streak and can move a man from a spot, opening lanes for his running back.
His guard experience during his college years helps him create leverage from his stance and drive his feet through contact.
Sealing the backcourt has become extremely important with Walker running the ball, given his vision and cutting ability. Patient running backs need offensive lines that put in serious effort, play and play.
The Chiefs tried playing young tackles with varying degrees of success, but that resulted in finding a solid player in Benson.
Perfect? No, but far from bad.
Benson has benefited from a Chiefs team that runs the ball at the same pace it once did with greats like Priest Holmes and Jamaal Charles, and is helping Kenneth Walker have what could be a remarkable season.
Benson may not be the left tackle of the future, but he has a bright future with the team, whether as a guard or blocker.
Brute strength, physicality and maximum effort can mask weaknesses, and Benson gets high marks in all three.
Gn sports
