The Kansas City Chiefs have decided to rest key starters in the Week 18 game against the Denver Broncos.
At the top of that list is quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who’ll next take the field in the Chiefs’ Divisional Round Game either Jan. 18 or Jan. 19.
With Mahomes sitting this week, it means that the Chiefs will not have the No. 10-ranked quarterback in the Pro Football Network Quarterback+ metric. Wentz has appeared in just two games this year, so he is not rated in this metric.
What To Know About Carson Wentz
The Kansas City Chiefs signed the 2016 No. 2 overall pick this past offseason to back up Mahomes. Wentz is a veteran quarterback and likely to considered one of the top-rated backups in the NFL due to his experience.
Wentz is in his ninth season but is also on his fifth team. His claim to fame is the time he had with the Philadelphia Eagles. He started all 16 games as a rookie and set what was at the time a single-season rookie record for pass completions with 379, leading the Eagles to a 7-9 record.
In his second year in 2017, Wentz was in the running to be the NFL MVP, but he tore his ACL in a Week 14 game and missed the rest of the year. At the time, the Eagles were 11-2 and had clinched the NFC East title.
That year, the Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl with Wentz on the sideline recovering from his season-ending injury.
Since that knee injury, Wentz has never been the same elite quarterback. He spent three more seasons with the Eagles but had a losing record of 17-21-1 between 2018-20.
Wentz has bounced around the league since then, playing for the Indianapolis Colts, Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Rams, and now, the Chiefs. Wentz’s best year since leaving the Eagles was 2021, when he mustered a 9-8 record with the Colts.
Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has confidence in Wentz and likes having such an experienced backup quarterback on the roster.
“I’ve been following him from the day he came in this league, and not really knowing him until this year, to see how he’s handed himself as an unbelievable No. 2 and backup and what he did in training camp, now he’s going to get an opportunity,” Nagy said in his Week 18 press conference.
“Literally, this is not different for him because he’s going to start. It’s not any different than any week that he goes into. When you find guys like that throughout the season, that are like that every week,” he said. “They’re out there, but they’re hard to find. Especially when you’re as talented as he is. So, as a coach, you get pumped up, you get excited and you want to go out there and do everything you can to help him go out and lead the team to a win.”
Wentz Has Been Here Before
Wentz’s last start also came in a season finale, when he started Week 18 for the Los Angeles Rams last year. He did not disappoint in that game.
Wentz will be making his first start for the Chiefs this week 💪 pic.twitter.com/xGdUgC2MnF
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 2, 2025
Wentz completed 17 of 24 passes for 163 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also led Los Angeles in rushing with 56 yards and recorded a game-winning touchdown run to defeat the San Francisco 49ers.
Will history repeat itself with Wentz earning another Week 18 victory?