Chiefs HC Andy Reid undecided on starters getting playing time in Week 18

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor

Jan 1, 2024 12:41 PM EST

Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid has a big decision to make regarding his handling of personnel in Week 18 vs. the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chiefs have clinched the AFC West with their Week 17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, and with the other results of the week, they also clinched the No. 3 seed in the AFC conference. No matter what happens in Week 18, Kansas City is locked in as the No. 3 seed, with the potential to face four different opponents depending on the results of the final week.

With that news, Chiefs HC Andy Reid could use Week 18 as a bye week and rest his starters. Asked about it directly following the team's win, he hadn't made up his mind yet.

“I haven’t gotten there yet," Reid said with a grin. "You were right (laughter).”

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes mentioned they've had a hard time stacking good games. It's always a good game followed up by a bad game. There is some notion that with how poorly the offense has been playing lately, Reid might want to keep the starters on the field and building steam as they barrel toward the playoffs.

“I kind of just let (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid make all of those decisions and then I roll with it," Mahomes said. "If he wants us to get out there and kind of build off this momentum that we have, I’ll be ready to go, and if he wants to give us some rest then I’ll get that rest, prepare for whoever we’re going play, and be ready to go in the playoffs.”

For players like Mahomes, it makes sense to give him some rest in Week 18 and avoid unnecessary risk of injury, but at least four starters might have personal reasons to play against the Chargers on Sunday afternoon.

Chris Jones, for instance, has a $1.25 million incentive for 10 sacks during the 2023 NFL season. He has just 9.5 sacks through 17 weeks.

"I want to play," Jones said. "OK, I want to play. But I understand the importance. Usually, for the past few years, we've had a bye week. . . If Coach Reid decides to rest us, I'll more than likely take the rest. I could use the week off. I'm sure the team could use it."

Other players like Travis Kelce (16), Isiah Pacheco (65), and Rashee Rice (62) are just shy of 1,000-yard season goals. The right move might be for the Chiefs to pay out any incentives attached to those yardage goals and let their starters rest in Week 18.

An alternative that could be very real is to treat this a bit like a preseason game. Reid can let the starters get out there and put together a nice series, then slowly phase in other backup players for the remainder of the game.