Will Chiefs sit starters with playoffs seed secured? One player says he’d prefer that
The Kansas City Chiefs — with Sunday’s 25-17 home victory over the Cincinnati Bengals — earned their starters a week off.
That is, if KC coach Andy Reid decides to go in that direction.
Kansas City’s win, combined with Buffalo’s triumph over New England on Sunday, means the Chiefs will be the AFC’s No. 3 seed in the upcoming NFL playoffs.
So, Reid was asked, will he be resting his starters during next Sunday’s 3:25 p.m. Central game at the Los Angeles Chargers?
“I haven’t gotten there yet,” he said.
If history is any indication, the answer will likely be “Yes.”
In past instances when the Chiefs had nothing to play for in the season’s final week, Reid has kept his main guys out. The last instance was in the 2020 season, when KC went with its backups in a 38-21 loss to the Chargers after clinching the No. 1 seed with a 14-1 record.
Another instance should be familiar as well. Mahomes led KC to a 27-24 win at Denver in his first NFL start during the 2017 regular-season finale, as the Chiefs had already secured the No. 4 seed with QB Alex Smith.
Mahomes, for his part, said he would defer to Reid regarding whether he played in next week’s game against the Chargers.
“If he wants us to get out there and build off this momentum that we have, I’ll be ready to go,” Mahomes said. “And if he wants to give us some rest, then I’ll get that rest, prepare for whoever we’re going to play, and be ready to go in the playoffs.”
Defensive end Chris Jones, meanwhile, would appear to have conflicting emotions regarding a start-or-sit decision. Jones’ contract requires a $1.25 million bonus if he reaches 10 regular-season sacks; after Sunday’s game, his total sits at 9 1/2.
So what’s his preference? After starting with a joke about getting himself in there, Jones was honest when he said he’d prefer time off his feet.
“If Coach Reid decides to rest us, I’ll more than likely take the rest. I can use a week off,” Jones said. “I feel a few nicks and bruises. And I’m quite sure our team could use it.”
The Chiefs being worn down would make sense, given this recent stretch.
KC has played at a rest disadvantage for each of its last six games — something no team had over the previous 35 seasons in the NFL — and it saw its injury list grow to 13 players ahead of this week’s game.
The Chiefs’ opening playoff opponent will depend on Week 18 results. The most likely scenario is KC hosting the Miami Dolphins, who have a 46% chance of earning the AFC’s No. 6 seed according to the New York Times’ playoffs simulator.
And this is a simple fact to remember: If the Dolphins lose their Week 18 home game to the Buffalo Bills, they will earn the 6 seed and come to KC for the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
So why is KC locked into the 3 seed, regardless of next week’s result? Here’s a quick rundown, with the Chiefs at 10-6 unable to catch Baltimore’s 12-3 record:
• If Miami beats Buffalo next week, that would clinch the AFC East and a better record for the Dolphins (12-5) than the Chiefs could have;
• If Buffalo beats Miami next week, it would finish at 11-6 and win the AFC East, earning the 2 seed over KC because of a head-to-head tiebreaker;
• If the Jaguars, Texans or Colts win the AFC South with an at-best 10-7 record to tie the Chiefs, each would lose the tiebreaker against KC to remain the 4 seed. Jacksonville lost a head-to-head matchup to KC, while Houston (conference record) and Indianapolis (common opponents) would be worse in subsequent tiebreakers.
KC’s perfect seed knowledge could help in other ways, too. This week, for instance, could be utilized for big-picture preparation rather than one-week game-planning. Practices could be altered as well, with a focus on recovery.
And Jones, for one, said he wouldn’t be disappointed with that outcome.
“If Coach Reid will let us get this week off,” he said with a smile, “that’d be remarkable.”
This story was originally published December 31, 2023 at 9:01 PM with the headline "Will Chiefs sit starters with playoffs seed secured? One player says he’d prefer that."
