Nick Foles will start at quarterback Sunday vs. Jacksonville, Chiefs coach Andy Reid announced Wednesday.
Alex Smith will not play and will be inactive. Tyler Bray will be the No. 2 quarterback.
Reid said Smith _ who took two blows to the head in the Chiefs' 30-14 win over Indianapolis on Sunday _ is currently in "return-to-play" protocol, even though the team says it believes he does not have a concussion and has been symptom-free.
"It's just in the best interest, I think, of all (involved) that we allow him to go through this," Reid said. "We'll go ahead and start Nick this week."
Reid said the move to start Foles was an organizational decision. It was made with input from chairman Clark Hunt, team president Mark Donovan, Smith, doctors and head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder, who suggested Monday that hematomas _ an abnormal collection of blood outside of a blood vessel caused by prior traumas _ behind both of Smith's ears may have contributed to his dizziness.
"He's got lumps on the back of his ears, and a cut ear, and all these things," Reid said of Smith. "Just let that heal up and everything settle down. We'll have a chance to evaluate him."
Reid said Smith will practice this week with the scout team, and Reid presumes Smith will be ready to play again next week.
"We're worked out, he hasn't had any symptoms there," Reid said. "Everything's positive."
Smith said he agreed with the decision to reduce his workload this week and sit out Sunday.
"There's a lot of research that with any kind of head trauma _ whatever you want to call it _ time to heal is obviously important, and that was the weighing factor," Smith said. "Ultimately, that's coach's decision. But he and I have the relationship where I was very open and honest with him about everything _ how I'm feeling, how I'm thinking. This was a decision we came to together.
"Obviously the last thing I wanted to do, I think anybody wanted to see, was to come back too soon and see something happen again. Would that have happened? Maybe, maybe not. You just don't know. I think this is everybody taking the side of caution and trying to make the decision."
Smith said concussion specialist Michael Collins from the University of Pittsburgh reviewed his imPACT test results from Monday and cleared him.
"Same thing _ nothing showed up," said Smith, who added that the independent neurologist, who he did not name, cleared him as well.
Still, Smith _ who has had two concussions (once in the NFL, once in college) _ said he does not feel like he currently has a concussion.
"I remember everything _ very, very coherent, very clear," Smith said of the first hit, from Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson with around 11 minutes left in the first quarter. "I went in and did the full evaluation and felt really good. I wasn't foggy, I didn't have a headache, my balance wasn't an issue. I felt really good, we went through the protocol, I thought everybody was really cautious, because of what they saw."
Smith, who received a lacerated ear on the play, said he should have slid sooner to avoid Jackson. But he stopped short of taking blame regarding the second hit, in which safety Clayton Geathers appeared to drive Smith's head into the turf with his forearm with around 11 minutes left in the third quarter.
"I remember everything," Smith said. "Certainly something happened _ don't know whatever it was, whatever you want to call it.
"Same thing, though _ felt good, went back in for the second go-round of the evaluation and it was the same. I remember everything, my balance and all that, nothing was off."
Foles, 27, was signed early in training camp, after being released by the St. Louis Rams, to back up Smith. Foles completed 16 of 22 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns in his Chiefs debut Sunday, while Smith completed 9 of 19 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown.
Reid addressed the possibility of a quarterback controversy by saying Smith will start if healthy. Smith has won 66 percent of his regular-season games as the Chiefs' starter, which ranks fifth among current, active players with at least 71 career starts. Foles has won 54 percent of his 35 regular-season games as a starter with Philadelphia and St. Louis.
Reid, of course, still expressed confidence in Foles.
"Everybody has confidence in Nick," Reid said. "He'll get in and do his thing."
And Foles, of course, expressed confidence in himself, noting that his fundamentals _ specifically his footwork _ have already improved greatly since joining the Chiefs three months ago.
"He's big on that," Foles said of Reid, a noted quarterback guru. "Every day working with him, coach (Matt) Nagy, getting to watch Alex and Tyler, they improve every single day with our routine.
"From when I got here until now, I think they've improved a lot."
