If the Chiefs want to complete a 3-peat in the Super Bowl, they need to bench these three players.

The final stretch of the 2024 NFL season is here as the Kansas City Chiefs only have four games remaining before the postseason begins.

The campaign has been successful thus far as the Chiefs head into Week 15’s clash against the Cleveland Browns tied for the NFL lead with a 12-1 record. Not only that, but Kansas City’s +500 odds to win Super Bowl LIX currently rank second-best in the league, trailing only the Detroit Lions (+270).

But as successful as the season has been thus far, it’s also been far from perfect. Several Chiefs have been underperforming and if those inconsistencies continue into the playoffs, they could cost head coach Andy Reid a shot at another Lombardi Trophy.

With that being said, here are three players who Chiefs must bench immediately.

1. Kingsley Suamataia, LT

It isn’t a secret that Kingsley Suamataia’s rookie season has been largely disappointing.

Despite showing immense potential during his BYU days, the first-year blocker has struggled to deliver at the NFL level. Suamataia hasn’t started a single game since Week 2 and has been limited to four or fewer offensive snaps in eight of his last nine appearances. He’s also been a healthy scratch twice, most recently in Week 14.

While Suamataia is young enough (21) to rebound, Reid might want to wait until next season to give him that opportunity.

After all, D.J. Humphries’ presence means the Chiefs no longer have to continue throwing Suamataia to the wolves. The latter clearly isn’t ready to be a full-time player, proven by his abysmal 33.2 pass block and 42.7 run block grades on Pro Football Focus.

Even Wanya Morris proved he’s better suited for the backup LT role than Suamataia. With the rookie scratched in Week 14, Morris had a solid performance as he played to a team-high 79.1 pass block grade across nine snaps.

Suamataia likely has a bright NFL future ahead of him, however, it’s clear that he does more harm than good by suiting up for the time being.

2. Derrick Nnadi, DT

The 2024 campaign has been the most unproductive season of Derrick Nnadi’s NFL career.

Stuck in a backup role after six seasons as a starting defensive tackle, the ex-Florida State product’s production has fallen off a cliff. Nnadi has registered a career-low three solo tackles while missing 12.1% of his attempts across 139 defensive snaps in 12 games. He’s yet to play more than 17 snaps in a game, illustrating his fall from grace.

Regardless of how you slice it, Nnadi shouldn’t be playing at all down the stretch. He’s been one of the NFL’s most unreliable DTs throughout the season, playing to a 35.2 defense grade while also being graded 40.8 against the run — 114th among 133 eligible interior defenders.

A reliable defense played a big role in the Chiefs’ latest two Super Bowl runs, meaning Nnadi can’t afford to keep playing at his current place. He’s a negative asset on the field as he fails to stop the run, making him better suited for the sidelines rather than an in-game role.

3. Justin Watson, WR

The Chiefs’ wide receiver room has been riddled with injuries throughout the season, which is why Kansas City fans hoped Justin Watson would step up at some point.

After all, the veteran receiver is in his third season with the Chiefs, meaning he’s familiar with the offense, and just tallied career-highs in catches (27), receiving yards (460), and touchdowns (3) last season. With Patrick Mahomes throwing him the ball, it’s easy to see why expectations were high.

But instead of stepping up when his team needed him, Watson has been invisible more often than not.

Although a 76.0% catch percentage (19-of-25) through 13 games is the best rate of his career, that’s basically the only thing Watson has going on. The 29-year-old wideout is averaging fewer yards per reception (11.8) and yards per game (28.8) than he was in 2023 (17.0 and 28.8, respectively) while his 52.5 catching grade is the sixth-worst among 120 WRs on PFF.

Watson’s play has dropped even more as the season continued, recording just six catches for 53 yards and a score in his last five outings. If that isn’t bad enough, he wasn’t even targeted once in Week 14 despite being on the field for 35 offensive snaps.

With his performances trending in the wrong direction, the Chiefs may as well remove Watson from the lineup — especially with Marquise Brown nearing his return — before searching for a replacement in the offseason.