The Kansas City Chiefs will rest quarterback Patrick Mahomes and other players in their starting lineup for Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs (15-1) have locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid confirmed Wednesday that veteran QB Carson Wentz will start in place of Mahomes, but said he “hasn’t finalized” which other key starters may sit out the finale.
Denver will secure its first playoff berth in nearly a decade with a win over the Chiefs. If Kansas City wins, Denver could still make the playoffs if both the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins each lose their final game. Broncos head coach Sean Payton said in a conference call on Monday about the potential changes to the Chiefs’ lineup: “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. 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.”
The Chiefs beat the Broncos 16-14 in their first matchup this season. When he was with the Philadelphia Eagles, Wentz threw four touchdowns and notched a win in his only game against the Broncos (back in November 2017), with the Eagles winning 51-23.
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