KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With the Kansas City Chiefs having clinched the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed and a first-round playoff bye, coach Andy Reid said some starters wouldn’t play in Sunday’s final regular-season game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium.
Reid wasn’t specific about which players would be out of the lineup, saying he hadn’t decided on a plan. But he suggested backup quarterback Chad Henne would play instead of Patrick Mahomes.
“There’s a good chance you might see Chad somewhere in that game, if not the beginning then somewhere in there,” Reid said. “I’m not telling you it’s not the beginning. I’m sorting through all of it.”
After Sunday’s 17-14 win over the Atlanta Falcons to clinch the No. 1 seed, Mahomes said he had no preference about playing or not playing against the Chargers.
“I just trust in the coaches,” Mahomes said. “I’m going to be ready to go whenever that is. I’m going to be ready to try to win a football game. Coach Reid has done this a long time and (offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy) has done this a long time. All those guys have done this for a long time and they know what’s best for the team and we’ll be ready to go whenever that is.”
Reid suggested starting wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins would be among the others who get a break against the Chargers.
“Tyreek Hill, how many miles has this kid put on?” Reid said. “The wear and tear that that does and Sammy (Watkins) too. You look at that part, the wear and tear on legs.”
Reid said he wasn’t concerned the Chiefs would be rusty in their divisional round playoff game if he sits some starters against the Chargers.
“In the past I’ve been OK with the way we’ve gone about it, the way we’ve practiced during the dead period, the bye week period,” Reid said. “So I feel comfortable if needed to rest guys and I’m confident we can do it the right way. Getting guys freshened up can be a positive for you. These guys aren’t going to forget the plays.
“I do have confidence that we have a veteran crew and they’re going to be OK. In some of these cases, some of these guys need to just take a step back … I really don’t have much of a hesitation with this crew if I need to sit people.”