Andy Reid Updates Plan for Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes for Week 18 KC Chiefs Game
Reid explained his judgment on his star QB, also providing some ideas on incentive and milestone players in Week 18.
The Kansas City Chiefs are just a handful of days away from wrapping off their 2023-24 regular season against the Los Angeles Chargers. With the squad back to practice on Wednesday, a number of guys won’t be on the field.
According to head coach Andy Reid, four Chiefs will be held out of the afternoon’s practice. Defensive tackle Chris Jones (groin spasm), cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (calf strain), running back Isiah Pacheco (quad contusion) and wide receiver Rashee Rice (hamstring) will focus on rehab and rehabilitation.
Speaking to the media, Reid also shared some brief updates on what the Chiefs’ lineup could look like and who stars are tracking to play or sit out.
Patrick Mahomes’s regular season is ended, Blaine Gabbert to start
As many suspected, Patrick Mahomes won’t play on Sunday in Los Angeles. In 16 games played this season, he’ll end with 4,183 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and a 92.6 passer rating. There’s an argument to be made that this was the weakest statistical campaign in Mahomes’s stellar career thus far, while he still managed to be one of the most useful players in the sport. Mahomes now gets a jump start on resting up and prepping for the postseason.
In Mahomes’s place, backup Blaine Gabbert will get the nod in Week 18. The veteran last appeared in a Week 3 blowout win against the Chicago Bears, completing three of five passes for 31 yards and a pair of interceptions. Gabbert, 34, has nearly a decade of experience and says he’s advising his younger colleagues to “have fun, cut it loose and just go play ball” against the Chargers. Chris Oladokun is slated to be Gabbert’s backup.
Reid talks likely availability of Travis Kelce, Chris Jones in Week 18
The Chiefs find themselves in a unique scenario this weekend, as a couple of star-level players are within striking distance of some critical benchmarks. Tight end Travis Kelce, sitting at 984 receiving yards, is just 16 yards away from extending his unprecedented streak of 1,000-yard campaigns to eight in a row. Defensive tackle Chris Jones is at 9.5 sacks, needing just a half-sack more to trigger a $1.25M incentive in his deal.
When questioned about incentive or milestone players being in the game this week, Reid responded it “depends on what the milestone is.” Describing the scenario as a “one-sided” talk, it appears like Reid is keeping the door open for those bars to possibly be reached in Week 18. Gabbert said it’s ultimately the head coach’s decision on who plays but if Kelce is on the field, the Chiefs are going to “do our damn best” to earn the future Hall of Fame pass-catcher his required number of yards.
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