The Kansas City Chiefs are rolling out a new offensive plan ahead of their season finale with the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, Jan. 7.
This plan won’t feature quarterback and two-time Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes, though.
Chiefs Make Decision at QB, Won’t Start Patrick Mahomes
Revealed Wednesday morning by Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, Blaine Gabbert will get the Start in Week 18.
“Blaine will take over that spot,” Reid told reporters.
Yet, why Mahomes is sitting isn’t performance-based. The Chiefs are simply keeping him rested for the upcoming AFC playoffs. He won’t be the only starter on the sideline, either.
Without diving into details, Reid said that he’s keeping other starters out of the lineup against the Bolts. In all likelihood, this means Mahomes’ top target, Travis Kelce, is likely to be out of the lineup as well.
This makes Mahomes the second starting NFL quarterback who will sit for the final regular-season game, joining Joe Flacco of the Cleveland Browns. Jeff Driskel will handle the QB reins for Cleveland against the Bengals. Flacco helped secure the Browns’ playoff spot with their 37-20 Thursday Night Football romp of the New York Jets on Dec. 28.
Looking at Mahomes’ 2023 Season
With Mahomes taking a breather, it officially ends what became a rather up-and-down season for the two-time NFL MVP.
Statistically speaking, though, this season witnessed much lower numbers compared to his Super Bowl-winning 2022 campaign.
Mahomes settled for 4,183 passing yards — now his sixth consecutive season of surpassing the 4,000-yard threshold. However, that total is still 1,067 yards below his 2022 mark.
Mahomes also ends up with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 16 games. That’s 14 touchdowns below his previous season mark. His picks went up compared to the 12 he threw last year.
His 2023 touchdown mark becomes his lowest total since the 2019 season when he threw for 26 and managed to play in 14 games.
The only stat that saw improvement on Mahomes’ end was his completion rate, which went from 67.1% in 2022 to 67.2% this season.
Where Do Mahomes and Chiefs Stand in the AFC Playoff Picture?
Despite a relatively down season by statistical output, Mahomes and the Chiefs are heading back to familiar territory: the postseason.
Kansas City secured the AFC West title by hitting its 10th win of the season against the Cincinnati Bengals on New Year’s Eve 2023.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
The 10-6 Chiefs currently hold the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoff picture and are all but assured of that spot and a home game at Arrowhead Stadium once the season wraps up.
The conference is still awaiting the AFC South division winner, which will be decided during this weekend. Either the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, or Jacksonville Jaguars will be guaranteed the No. 4 seed behind the Chiefs.
As for Kansas City’s first opponent, signs are currently indicating that the team will have a rematch with a familiar postseason foe: the Buffalo Bills. While the Bills won the previous 2023 meeting 20-17 at Arrowhead, both the Chiefs and Bills have had some memorable AFC playoff moments.
Fans recall the 2020 AFC title game that saw KC roll past the Bills. Of course, the “13 seconds” game of the 2021 AFC Divisional Round still lives vividly with members of the “Chiefs Kingdom” and “Bills Mafia” fan bases, which saw Mahomes and company tie the game up before eventually winning in overtime.
For now, fans will await until opening playoff week to see Mahomes and the other Chiefs stars back in action.
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