Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid plans to rest a number of his starters against the LA Chargers this weekend, though he is still yet to decide whether Travis Kelce will be one of them.
The Chiefs head to LA for their final regular-season outing on Sunday having already nailed down the No 3 seed in the playoffs after last weekend’s 25-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. As a result, Reid has already confirmed that star quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be rested ahead of their playoff campaign, and on Friday he revealed that four more starters will not be playing.
Wide receivers Rashee Rice and Kadarius Toney, offensive tackle Donovan Smith and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed are all inactive to round off the Chiefs’ regular season while struggling with minor injuries, yet there was no word on whether Kelce’s legs will also be saved. Despite being limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday due to a neck issue, Reid says no final decision has been made on whether Kelce will line up against the Chargers at So-Fi Stadium.
When the Chiefs coach was recently asked about the players that were close to milestones playing against Los Angeles, Reid said it ‘depends’ on what the accomplishment is. Then a reporter asked directly about Kelce’s chance at an eighth-consecutive 1,000-yard-receiving season. ‘We’ll see how all that goes,’ he said. Reid added the conversations about playing in Week 18 for players are ‘one-sided.’
The decision to rest Mahomes gives backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert, 34, the chance to start his first Chiefs game, after joining them in the offseason. So far, he has only played a few snaps in Week 3, standing in for Mahomes when he picked up an injury against the Chicago Bears. In previous years, Reid has gone with his backups when nothing has been left to play for, including in a 38-21 loss to the Chargers after already clinching the No 1 seed back in 2020.
Mahomes also made his first start as Chiefs quarterback when Reid shuffled his pack on the final day of the 2017 season at Denver after sealing No 4 seed with first-choice Alex Smith. Sitting important players has become more commonplace in the NFL for the last week of the regular season among teams whose playoff fates have already been determined. The Baltimore Ravens will sit MVP favorite Lamar Jackson with the AFC’s No. 1 seed locked up this weekend. The Denver Broncos know they won’t make the playoffs, so not playing Russell Wilson effectively ends his career with the team.
