With the No. 1 seed in the AFC locked up, the Kansas City Chiefs will officially rest superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the regular season finale in Denver, head coach Andy Reid announced Wednesday.
Veteran Carson Wentz will start in place of Mahomes, who boasts a 13-1 career record against Denver.
Reid said he "hasn't finalized" what other key starters may sit out the finale, but that it "wasn't a hard decision" to rest Mahomes.
- Hear Andy Reid discuss the decision Wednesday, in the video player below:
Broncos head coach Sean Payton was asked Monday about what was at the time a likely possibility the Chiefs rested their starters in Week 18.
“I don’t know that it changes the game plan because the scheme is still the same.I think you have to approach it like you’re seeing starters at these positions,” Payton said in a conference call Monday. “Obviously, NFL rosters are — it’s not like you have a college roster. I’ve been in this position before on the other side of it. I think you’re looking at the scheme relative to the game plan, and then planning on seeing the player that you’re watching on film – and if someone else is in that spot, then so be it.”
Denver would secure its first playoff berth in nearly a decade with a win over their longtime rival. If the Chiefs’ backups pull off a win, Denver would still make the playoffs if both the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins each lose their final game.
The Chiefs beat the Broncos in their first matchup this season, 16-14, as Kansas City blocked the potential game-winning field goal in the final seconds. Kansas City had won 16 consecutive games against Denver before the Broncos snapped the streak in October of last year.
Wentz threw four touchdowns and notched a win in his only game against the Broncos – a November 2017 contest his Philadelphia Eagles won 51-23.
