To sit the starters or not: that is the question Andy Reid will ponder this week with the AFC's top seed tucked away by virtue of Sunday's 17-14 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
The result improved the Chiefs' record to 14-1 — a club record for victories — and they'll enter the playoffs as the only team in the AFC that won't play a Wild-Card Round game on Jan. 9 or 10.
The Chiefs' regular season ends with Sunday's Week 17 contest against the Los Angeles Chargers, and Reid wasn't ready Sunday evening to tip his hand about playing-time distribution for that game at Arrowhead Stadium.
"We haven't made any decisions," he said. "If you're going to go that way, ask me another question."
In his Kansas City tenure, with the Chiefs' playoff position locked in before the final regular-season game, Reid has typically rested some of his starters. The first NFL start for quarterback Patrick Mahomes occurred in the final week of the 2017 regular season in Denver.
Mahomes and third-team quarterback Tyler Bray took all the snaps while starter Alex Smith rested.
In 2013, reserve quarterback Chase Daniel made his first NFL start in the season finale when the Chiefs couldn't alter their playoff spot with a loss or win in the finale.
In Philadelphia, where he coached from 1999-2012, Reid faced a similar situation four times ... and each time he either limited his starters or sat them altogether.
"I've got to think about where we sit with it," Reid said. "It gives us an opportunity to possibly get some guys in who haven't played much and get them experience. There's nothing like.
"You don't do anything other than try to prepare yourself to win games. It doesn't whose who's in. That's how you go about your business here."
Without a must-win component to next weekend's game, the Chiefs could afford to provide rest and healing time to some key players. Reid listed two from the Falcons game: linebacker Ben Niemann (hamstring) and wide receiver Sammy Watkins (calf).
Other players, such as wide receiver Tyreek Hill and linebacker Damien Wilson, missed practice time with injuries within the past week. Hill played Sunday; Wilson didn't.
The counter-argument to sitting your starters is this: Would those players lose their timing by not playing in a game for three weeks? After next week, the Chiefs wouldn't play again until the divisional round on Jan. 16 or 17. It's one thing to sit when a team plays in the wild-card round. But a starting the playoffs in the divisional round game extends the down time.
And there are always statistics to pad or milestones to conquer for individuals, sometimes with contract-bonus triggers in play. Mahomes could get to 5,000 passing yards, for instance. After a 278-yard day against the Falcons, Mahomes needs 260 to reach 5,000 for the second time in his career.
Every bit would seem to help a leading contender for league MVP.
But Mahomes said next week's snap count is up to the coaches.
"I just trust in the coaches," Mahomes said. "I'm ready to go whenever that is. Coach Reid has done this for a long time, and EB (offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy) has done this for a long time. They know what's best for the team and we'll be ready to go, whenever that is."
Tight end Travis Kelce wrote his name into the NFL record book with his big game Sunday. Seven receptions for 98 yards gave him 105 catches and 1,416 yards for the season. His receptions total marks the first time an NFL tight end has logged multiple 100-reception seasons, and the yards are the most ever for a tight end in a single season.
Kelce doesn't know if he'll get a chance to pad those figures against the Chargers.
"I'm just going to come in Wednesday, ready to work," Kelce said.
