KC Chiefs Have a Unique Opportunity Ahead in Week 18
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 25-17 last Sunday, clinching their eighth consecutive AFC West title and an automatic bid into the playoffs. As various scenarios started to unfold last weekend, ultimately the Chiefs clinched the three-seed in the AFC. They can’t move any higher or fall any further. This sets up an interesting scenario heading into Week 18, the final week of the regular season.
Early in the week, head coach Andy Reid announced quarterback Patrick Mahomes would not play in the game. With nothing on the line in what essentially amounts to a meaningless game as far as the standings go, it’s the right move to sit a player like him. On Friday, the Chiefs also announced a few more players who will miss the game with some minor injuries and will not play as a precautionary measure. Those players include wide receiver Rashee Rice, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, wideout Kadarius Toney and offensive lineman Donovan Smith. Of those players, only Rice was close to a milestone. If he had played and had 62 yards receiving, he would have reached 1,000 yards receiving in his rookie season.
On Friday, the team also revealed five other players who were questionable for the game: running back Isiah Pacheco, linebacker Nick Bolton, cornerback Trent McDuffie and defensive ends George Karlaftis and Mike Danna. This group is very important to this team’s chances to make a run in the playoffs; it would make sense to give them a week off to rest up.
Then there are two superstar players whose names didn’t pop up with any designations on Friday: defensive tackle Chris Jones and tight end Travis Kelce. For most of the week, Chiefs Kingdom has been speculating whether Jones and Kelce would suit up for this game. Typically in these circumstances, it would be a no-brainer that Reid would sit these two players and get them ready and healthy for the playoffs. However, there are important milestones that can be achieved for each of these players.
If Jones records a half-sack or more in the final game, it would kick in a $1.25 million incentive bonus. If Kelce can get 16 receiving yards during the game, he will reach 1,000 yards receiving for the eighth consecutive season. Only 17 receivers in NFL history have had eight seasons of 1,000 yards or more in a single season. Kelce would be the first tight end to have that distinction. That would be double what the next best tight ends have done in their career. Hall of Famers like Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski and Jason Witten were only able to have four 1,000-yard seasons in their entire careers.
For Jones, this is something he’s been working toward since he reworked his contract. Jones missed the first game of the season during negotiations. This is one of those incentives that was supposed to help make up for that, and it seemed achievable so he could get his money. There are still playoff incentives as well, so Jones will likely be looking to capitalize and get a sack early in the game so he can get out and rest up for the playoff run. It seems reasonable that Reid would give Jones the opportunity to hit his incentive before sending him to the bench for the rest of the game.
For Kelce, it’s all about his place in the history of the game. This is an important milestone not only for him but for the Chiefs and his legacy among the greatest players to ever play the game. In reality, he is already among the greats, but this is another milestone that sets him apart and elevates him into another stratosphere. Similarly to Jones, it seems reasonable that Reid would give Kelce the chance to hit his milestone early in the game before sending him to the bench. Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy have likely worked Kelce into the opening game script. Last time Kelce suited up against the Chargers, he torched them for 12 receptions and 179 yards. It would not be shocking to see Kelce get his yards on the first series of the game and then be benched to rest up for the playoff run.
There’s still a football game to be played, and not everyone will get to take the day off, but it’s reasonable for Reid to try and rest some of his key contributors with a three-seed locked up. The Chiefs likely won’t know who their opponent will be until after the Buffalo Bills play the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football. There’s a chance the Bills could be playing for the two-seed with a win or missing the playoffs altogether with a loss. If the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens (who will be resting key starters) and the Jacksonville Jaguars beat the Tennessee Titans, then this will be the scenario at hand. The Chiefs could play the Dolphins, Bills, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts or Steelers. No matter who they play, they will get one home game with a high probability of playing their first road playoff game in the Mahomes era later.
Hopefully Jones and Kelce can hit their milestones, make an early exit and watch most of the game from the sidelines. A win or loss doesn’t matter much, but the players who will be getting more playing time than usual will be out to make a name for themselves, which could be exciting for Chiefs fans to keep an eye on. Enjoy whatever this team gives us and the scoreboard watching that will inevitably occur.
