Andy Reid says Chiefs will likely rest starters in Week 17, 'good chance' Chad Henne will play
The Chiefs have the No. 1 seed sewn up
By
Jared Dubin
•
1 min read
The Kansas City Chiefs enter Week 17 as the only team in the NFL that has officially locked up its playoff seeding. The Chiefs will be the No. 1 seed in the AFC and have both a bye through the first round and home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.
Because they're in that situation, they have the opportunity to get some of their top players an extra week of rest. Chiefs coach Andy Reid plans on doing exactly that.
"There's certain guys that will have an opportunity to rest," Reid told reports on Monday. "I've done that in the past. I've rested players, yes."
Specifically, it sounds like Patrick Mahomes will get some rest. Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star noted that Reid said "there's a good chance" that backup Chad Henne will play in Sunday's game. It was not immediately clear if that meant Henne would start or simply appear in the game, but it does not sound like Mahomes will be playing the full 60 minutes against the division rival Chargers.
Also likely to be sidelined for the Week 17 contest is wide receiver Sammy Watkins. According to NFL Network, Watkins suffered a calf injury during the Week 16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. The injury is reportedly not considered serious, but sitting him down will give him three full weeks to rest before suiting up for the team's first playoff game.
