For casual fans tuning in on Sunday, watching the Kansas City Chiefs is going to be an interesting exercise. That's because they will likely be wondering how K.C. managed a 15-1 record by leaning on a bunch of players whose names they don't recognize.
The Chiefs are set to rest many starters going into Week 18's scheduled game against the Denver Broncos. That means some players will enjoy over 20 days of rest between games given that the Chiefs have also earned a well-deserved first-round bye after clinching the top seed in the conference.
While everyone will enjoy some extra down time after making it this far in the NFL season, some Chiefs will benefit more than others. Here are three players who need it most.
1. Isiah Pacheco
What a tough year for Isiah Pacheco. Coming into his third season, the Chiefs' leading rusher for the last two seasons looked like a safe bet to eclipse the 1,000 yard mark for the first time given his importance, his experience, and the excellence up front for the Chiefs offensive line.
Unfortunately Pacheco was lost early in the year to a fractured fibula in Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals and wasn't able to return from injured reserve until late November. He's missed a lot of football already this season and now he's dealing with a rib injury suffered late in Week 17's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Chiefs have a nice stable of running backs with Samaje Perine, Kareem Hunt, and Carson Steele in tow behind Pacheco, but no one wants to lean heavily into that depth at the start of the postseason. The good news is that Andy Reid has already stated he should be ready to go once the postseason begins for the Chiefs, even though things are "tender" right now with the injury.
2. Chris Jones
There's no need to say anything here, but we're happy to oblige.
Chris Jones is not only the team's best pass rusher, but he's one of the 3-5 best pass rushers in the game of football today. For the Chiefs, he's the second most important player on the entire roster and the engine for Steve Spagnuolo's defense. The fact that he's dealing with a calf strain is bad news.
While the Chiefs are playing well, have secured the top seed, and come with loads of experience, if there's any single reason for the Kingdom to worry about how things might turn out this January, it's this one. Without Jones, the Chiefs are going to have a very hard time getting beyond the Buffalos and Baltimores ahead.
That's why this rest is so important in the interim.
3. Jawaan Taylor
Say what you will about Jawaan Taylor, but there's no denying that he's entrenched as the starting right tackle for the Chiefs. And given his importance as a full-time blocker on the edge tasked with keeping Patrick Mahomes upright in the postseason, we're quite glad to see him getting some time to rest and recover after dealing with a late-season knee injury.
Taylor is, per Andy Reid, dealing with some lingering soreness in his knee and this isn't the first time this season that we've seen Taylor on the injury report with the same concern. It's likely going to continue to plague him until the offseason arrives in full for K.C., but giving him three full weeks away from competition might be just the respite he needs down the stretch.
Given the issues at tackle overall, a healthy (as possible) Taylor on the outside is going to help considerably versus one trying to recover on plays due to pain.