On Sunday, Quarterback Carson Wentz makes his regular season debut for the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s in a contract year with nothing to play for except knocking the Denver Broncos out of the playoffs. For his head coach, Andy Reid, he must use both his starters and back-ups to compete.
With so many bad starting NFL quarterbacks in the league, it’s a wonder that Carson Wentz is still on the Chiefs roster. Kansas City signed him to a one-year deal during free agency, and he is the most talented backup Andy Reid has had in Kansas City. Yet, Head Coach Andy Reid can’t focus on that and mustn’t give the game to the Broncos.
Wentz came to Kansas City not only to be the understudy for Patrick Mahomes. As a bonus, he works with Reid, a master at developing quarterbacks. Wentz will start Sunday’s regular-season finale at Denver. He knows the stakes are high for him to prove if something happens to Mahomes, he can guide the offense.
Mahomes has a habit of missing time in the playoffs, and Wentz, who has a Super Bowl ring, knows how to guide a championship-caliber team. He did it in Philadelphia, and there is little doubt within the Chiefs organization that Wentz can’t do the same in Kansas City.
Reid must ensure he puts enough on the plate for Wentz to grind out success against Denver. So, does that mean his Pro Bowl interior offensive line gets snaps? Does Carson Steeler take all the running back reps?
In Kansas City, the expectations are always the same. So, for Wentz to head into this game just hoping to get some snaps for a relief role in the playoffs would be underestimating the Chiefs way of preparing for football games.
Denver has one of the league’s best defenses. Even though they’ve struggled poorly in back-to-back losses against the Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals, this unit gave the Chiefs fits with Mahomes earlier this season in Arrowhead.
Had it not been for Leo Chenal’s blocked field goal, the Broncos would have already clinched a playoff spot, and Kansas City would be playing Sunday to lock down the top spot in the AFC.
Either way, Chiefs fortunes or the Bronco’s lousy luck, this is a massive game for both AFC West combatants.
Denver is trying to be relevant again in the AFC West. They haven’t made the playoffs since Peyton Manning was their quarterback, and the Box Nix experiment is a work in progress. He has enormous talent but has yet to beat a playoff team this season.
After all, Kansas City has no pressure to win this game, and the Broncos have an enormous weight on their shoulders to win this game.
Reid can’t lose sight of winning this game. For no other reason, should the back-ups lead the way to defeat a legitimate playoff team without their most prominent stars on the field, that confidence can extend into the postseason.
For a player like Safety Jordan Hicks, who is blossoming as a defender, or wide receiver Nicco Remigio, they can gain enormous confidence with a win at Denver. Reid has a roster full of young players, but how he sprinkles in the starters will decide who wins the final AFC West showdown of the season.
With a good performance against the Broncos, Wentz can open many opportunities for 2025 as a legitimate NFL starter. If not, he could return to the Chiefs, and I’m sure they’d welcome him with open arms.
I don’t envy Reid because, as I stated earlier in the week, with a win and three post-season victories, the Chiefs would become the first 19-win team in NFL history. That would be icing on the cake for all the accolades this franchise would receive should they win Super Bowl LIX.
So, I don’t think Reid will be as conservative, nor will defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo as some believe. In a similar situation last season, in their finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, they didn’t sit back; they attacked.
That raises many questions about the game plan, and I think they wouldn’t mind knocking out the Broncos’ playoff hopes as a team, even though that could open the door for the Cincinnati Bengals.
