Darwin Thompson will be Chiefs primary RB against Chargers

Ian Rapoport says Darwin Thompson will get a lot of playing time on Sunday.

It’s Week 17 for the Kansas City Chiefs, which means fans are going to get a look at a whole new team on Sunday afternoon. According to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, the Chiefs are planning to elevate Darwin Thompson to starting status out of the backfield on Sunday, giving the second-year back a chance to show what he can do.

For the sake of review, Week 17 is meaningless for the Chiefs this season. The team locked up their playoff spot weeks ago, and they even landed the No. 1 seed in the entire AFC last week. They’ve got a first-round bye in the postseason, and treating Week 17 as the team for several staters means that some players will have up to 20 days of rest—or at least not getting hit at full speed by opponents—before taking the field again for the team’s postseason run.

All this means that the Chiefs will give the likes of Darwin Thompson—and other such players on the roster—plenty of playing time on Sunday.

Thompson was the sixth-round selection of the Chiefs front office in the 2019 NFL Draft as a prospect out of Utah State. Thompson hasn’t appeared in a game this season since Week 8 against the New York Jets, but that’s largely due to the arrival of Le’Veon Bell onto the roster at midseason. Incidentally, Rapoport also said Bell would dress for the game but it’s uncertain how much playing time he will receive.

The Chiefs primary starter, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, is currently resting ankle and hip injuries. The Chiefs, however, also have Darrel Williams available out of the backfield.

Thompson has 50 career carries for 180 yards and 1 touchdown. He also has 9 catches for 43 receiving yards—all of which came last season.