The Kansas City Chiefs took care of business on Christmas and locked up the No. 1 seed in the AFC with their victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now that they’ve secured the top spot in the conference, coach Andy Reid will elect to rest key starters in K.C.’s Week 18 regular-season finale against the Broncos in Denver, according to CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones.
Accounting for the first-round bye that comes with the No. 1 seed, this break will total roughly 24 days of rest for various players on the defending champions’ roster.
“Twenty-four days of rest is almost unheard of in the NFL, but for some of Kansas City’s starters that’s what they’ll be getting,” Jones said on Sunday’s edition of “That Other Pregame Show” on CBS Sports Network.
“The Chiefs are expected to rest key starters until their playoff game, and that would include Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and Chris Jones. Several other starters will either be inactive or won’t play, and the team is going to work through that this upcoming week as they make that official.”
Some of the Chiefs key starters will have 24 days of rest (🤯) leading up to their playoff game.@jjones9 and @Ky1eLong discuss the end of KC’s season and what’s to come for them in the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/5uxOW1sbVI
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 29, 2024
With this break, members of the Chiefs will not play again until the weekend of Jan. 18, when they host their divisional-round matchup. As Jones notes, that extended layoff will lead to some “intense practices for starters who are resting,” as Reid will look to keep them sharp.
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