Adam Schefter addresses Chiefs plan to rest starters in Week 18 vs. Broncos

The Kansas City Chiefs are already locked into the top seed in the AFC, but they have one game remaining on their schedule, a Week 18 clash with the Denver Broncos.

While it might not mean much to the Chiefs, it means everything to the Broncos and a myriad of other AFC teams, like the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins. While many pundits would pick the Chiefs to get the win over Denver at full strength, ESPN’s Adam Schefter threw a wrench into that sentiment, revealing Kansas City is planning to rest a litany of players, from Patrick Mahomes to Chris Jones.

“I think we’ll see Patrick Mahomes in the [AFC] Divisional Playoff Round. I think we’ll see Chris Jones in the Divisional Playoff Round. I think we’ll see Isiah Pacheco in the Divisional Playoff Round. I think there are key players that haven’t been healthy — this is the ideal time to get them rest,” Schefter proclaimed, via The Pat McAfee Show. “The Chiefs are playing at a level that is as strong as any time they’ve played at during the season. They’re hitting their peak. When these guys are unhealthy, this is a chance to rest them. You’re not going to risk them. They didn’t risk them last year, once they’ve clinched their spot. It was a different scenario. I don’t think they were the No. 1 seed, but they had clinched their spot, and Andy Reid used that last week to rest them. I know they’ll get another bye, but this team is clicking right now. You’re not going to expose certain people at times like this.

“Here’s the thing that I think a lot of people also need to understand. There’s 53 players on the roster. So, if there are four, five, six guys that don’t play, there still are another 45 or so, that are on a Super Bowl caliber roster, that are going to go play against the Denver Broncos. Like, this isn’t going to be a gimme game for the Broncos. By the way, for Carson Wentz, this will be his Super Bowl. This is a big game for him. This is a big game for all the people that are going to be called on.

“It’s as favorable as Denver could hope it to be for a matchup against a team as great as the Chiefs, but it’s not a layup. It’s not a gimme. They still have to go out and take care of business. But I would expect the Chiefs to rest the key people that have had injury issues, and don’t expose them any further, and get them ready for the Divisional Playoff Round.”

As you can tell, the Carson Wentz-led Chiefs will have the playoff hopes of multiple AFC teams on his shoulders against the Broncos. Time will tell if Denver can simply win and eliminate all doubt, but anything can happen in the NFL, especially during Week 18.