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The Kansas City Chiefs suffered a ruthless 38-0 loss in Week 18 to the Denver Broncos, making their game very miserable to watch as a Chiefs supporter. Not one to ever exhibit frustration even to the public in the course of a game, Patrick Mahomes was left speechless on the sidelines. As it was basically a meaningless game given Kansas City already secured the number one AFC seed, Mahomes seemed devastated that his team played so poorly—he was never even able to score a point.
Resting the Starters
Now, here’s the thing: The Chiefs had nothing to play for. Their top seed in the AFC had already been cemented, ensuring they automatically headed to the playoffs with home-field advantage. Andy Reid then chose to sit their starters for this game and also sat out several key players like Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones. This presented an opportunity for backup quarterback Carson Wentz to start, but it was pretty evident that it wasn’t going to be a good night for Kansas City.
Wentz’s Struggles
Wentz, who had a Super Bowl with the Eagles, could not get the offense moving. He threw just 10 completions for a paltry 98 yards. Yikes. The Broncos had everything to play for in this game—winning would secure them a playoff spot, and boy, did they show up. With a dominant win, Denver secured the seventh seed in the AFC, proving that motivation can really make a difference.
Angst on the Side Lines
At one point or another, all throughout the game, Mahomes was visibly frustrated. His team wasn’t scoring, and at that point of the game, it was easy to tell they did not want this to end this way to close out their regular season play. The game itself didn’t really matter from a playoff-seeding standpoint; Mahomes’s frustration was quite a reminder how much he invests in any performance—whether it’s him or his teammates—under pretty much any condition.
Chiefs Still Prepared for Playoffs
Despite the indignity of a shutout, the Chiefs march into the playoffs with a 15-2 record. It is not going to be a season-ending loss that they can just shake off easily, but Mahomes and the crew will enjoy home-field advantage in the playoffs, as well as the experience of having won a Super Bowl.
It will be interesting to see how the Chiefs respond to this loss. If they are going to make history and win their third consecutive Super Bowl, they need to take these lessons from Week 18 seriously. They rested their key players, but the playoff race is now wide open.
Also read – Why Andy Reid’s Week 18 Decision Could Be the Most Controversial of the Season: Here’s What Experts Think!
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