As expected, the Kansas City Chiefs will use Week 18 as a rest period for their main starters – which make the Miami Dolphins’ path to the playoffs that much harder.
As expected, the Kansas City Chiefs, who have clinched the number one seed in the AFC playoff picture, will rest their starters for the team’s Week 18 contest against the Denver Broncos. Denver clinches a spot in the playoffs with a win and, with the Chiefs not caring if they win or lose this week’s games, that seems a strong possibility.
The Denver win would eliminate the Miami Dolphins from making a third consecutive postseason. The Dolphins have to beat the New York Jets in their Week 18 game, plus have the Broncos lose.
To reinforce the effort at giving their players rest, the Chiefs officially listed quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce, running back Isaiah Pacheco, and defensive tackle Chris Jones on the inactive players list. Also inactive are cornerback Trent McDuffie, defensive end George Karlaftis, and tackle Jawaan Taylor. The Chiefs are clearly packing it in for this weekend, worrying more about the playoff run – which will start with a bye week next week as the conference’s top seed.
Carson Wentz is expected to start in Mahomes’ place.
The Broncos, meanwhile, will be playing their starters in an effort to lock up a playoff position. Their side of the injury report includes quarterback Zach Wilson, running back Blake Watson, linebacker Levelle Bailey, tackle Frank Crum, defensive lineman Matt Henningsen, and defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike. Wilson is listed as the team’s emergency quarterback.
The Chiefs at Broncos game kicks off at 4:25 p.m. Eastern, with a simiultaneous start to the Dolphins at Jets game.