National NFL media practically all released reports on the Kansas City Chiefs’ plan for Week 18 against the Denver Broncos at the same time on Sunday.
NFL Network, CBS, and FOX Sports all report that the Chiefs will rest their starting players in Week 18’s game against the Broncos. Anyone who has followed the team during the Andy Reid era expected to hear this. Any time they clinch seeding and have nothing to play for in the final week of the season, Reid gives his players the week off to rest and recover. This is especially needed this season, given that the team had its bye week back in Week 6.
FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer had a particularly funny quip on the Chiefs resting players for Week 18.
“Yeah, well, listen, Kansas City is going to tell anybody what they’re going to do, but I’m going to tell you they’re not playing any of their starters, anybody who’s banged up, anybody like Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones, if you’ve got a hangnail and you’re a starter, you’re not playing for Kansas City. They want to make sure they go into the playoffs healthy.”
Hey, hangnails are injuries, too! The Chiefs had 12 players listed on their final injury report for Week 17 against the Steelers. You can expect that the vast majority of those players will sit out, with the exception of guys like TE Peyton Hendershot and WR Nikko Remigio.
Mahomes, Jones, Travis Kelce, DeAndre Hopkins, Trent McDuffie, Nick Bolton, George Karlaftis, Justin Reid, Joe Thuney, Jawaan Taylor, and Creed Humphrey are among the players expected to rest in Week 18. They’re not going to take any chances with getting players injured, and they want the players who are banged up to get the proper rest and recovery time to be 100% by the divisional round of the playoffs.
Glazer also put a common theory to bed. The Chiefs aren’t going to intentionally lose a game to keep a team like the Bengals out of the playoffs. He was asked about it by one of his co-hosts.
“I don’t think that’s part of their mindset,” Glazer said.
Kansas City resting starters are all about their own team and no ulterior motives. This is a team that has adopted the mentality that they can play any team, anywhere, on any day of the week. They’re not angling for one opponent to make it over the other. They’ll be ready to make a run, no matter who gets in the playoffs.
