Andy Reid says he’s leaning toward resting key players in Week 17 against the Chargers.
On Monday, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid faced a line of questions, one right after the other, all based on the same theme: resting players. With the Chiefs, the greatest drama left in the regular season is all about postseason preparedness given that the franchise has already locked up the division title, their postseason slot, and a first-round bye.
If you’re wanting the answer, Reid hasn’t officially made up his mind yet, but it was clear that the veteran head coach was going to err on the side of giving his guys a chance to rest after fighting through the rigors of a regular season and coming out with 14 (or maybe even 15) victories.
The Chiefs face the Chargers in Week 17 in the team’s final home game. Unfortunately for any fans taking in the game from Arrowhead, it seems as if it might be the Chad Henne show (and other such backups) instead of the team’s typical starters. Reid was asked several times about his plans in various forms and the answer remained the same—a non-committal preference for resting guys.
"“I’ve been down this road a couple times before and had opportunities to rest guys. We’ll do that. We’ll rest up some guys. I’m sitting right here and kind of waiting on the guys to come in and get treatment and talk to Rick [Burkholder, Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance] and see exactly where we stand with any injuries and that. But there are cetain guys who will have an opportunity to rest up.”"
Reid apparently likes the way things have worked out in the past when he’s been given the same chance to rest his players. He quoted “mileage” as a concern for skill position players like Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins. He also stated that practice will keep them fresh. “We have a veteran crew and we’ll be okay,” he said.
"“In the past, I’ve been okay with it, right? The way we’ve gone about it, the way we’ve practiced in between that dead period there, the bye week period. So I feel comfortable if needed here to rest guys, which I’m leaning in that direction. I’m confident that we can do it the right way and I’m not worried about that—getting the guys freshened up I think can be a positive for ya. These guys aren’t going to forget the plays. They won’t forget how to play. I think in some cases a little bit of rest helps.”"
The Chiefs are scheduled to host the Chargers on Sunday at 3:25 p.m. C.T. and then get the following week off due to the first-round bye. The next meaningful game for K.C. will come the weekend of January 16-17.