Five things that stood out about the Chiefs’ win (without Mahomes) over the Chargers
After waiting 15 weeks for their initial fourth-quarter comeback of the season, the Chiefs waited only seven days for their next.
With Blaine Gabbert at quarterback.
Resting (most of) their starters while locked into the No. 3 seed for next week’s playoffs, the Chiefs beat the Chargers 13-12 in their regular-season finale Sunday in California.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Nick Bolton, Justin Reid and several others took the day off.
The defense did not. It finished the season in the same form it’s had all year, not allowing a touchdown.
The Chiefs will face the Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card Round at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday night.
For now, here are five observations from immediately after the Chiefs’ win:
1. The rested starters
It’s probably a bit bizarre to begin a recap of any game by talking about those who didn’t play. But that’s what we’ll remember most about the regular-season finale, no?
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce headlined a group that sat Sunday, with a makeshift offensive line, and a new batch of skill players for backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert. In other words, Gabbert wasn’t dealt a full deck in his first start since 2018.
The Mahomes decision was easy.
The Kelce? Well, he was just 16 yards shy of his eighth straight 1,000-yard season. No other tight end has more than three. When it’s all said and done, that item is toward the top of his resume, tucked behind the rings. The game might not have mattered, but let’s not pretend the streak doesn’t mean a little something too.
(By the way, Kelce would’ve already reached 1,000 if not for a penalty you might remember: The Kadarius Toney offside flag that wiped out his catch-and-lateral play against the Bills.)
But if there was any doubt about what they should do in Los Angeles, take a look across the league this weekend. T.J. Watt. A.J. Brown. Sam LaPorta. Some playoff teams lost some really valuable pieces to injury.
The Chiefs, however, didn’t apply the whole rest thing across the board. They didn’t sit everyone.
2. The starter they didn’t rest
The game wasn’t completely meaningless.
It meant, oh, about $1.25 million to Chris Jones.
The Chiefs let Jones play enough snaps — into the second half — to secure a sack, earning him a $1.25 million incentive for reaching double digits in sacks. Which truly did spark a terrific reaction from the Chiefs sideline that appeared plenty aware of all of this.
It did not, however, recoup Jones all of the money he lost in the holdout.
He forfeited about $3.6 million, we estimated, by skipping training camp, a workout bonus and the paycheck for a game that mattered.
Jones previously earned two separate $1 million bonuses attached to his playing time. He technically could still earn another $1 million if he’s both named All-Pro and the Chiefs reach the Super Bowl. The other incentives — 15 sacks, a defensive player of the year award — aren’t happening.
The holdout, all told, saved him a month-long visit to St. Joseph.
But it’s still cost him money.
3. The touchdown — from the defense
We didn’t see Patrick Mahomes or Justin Herbert. Or Travis Kelce or Keenan Allen.
But we got a reminder of Chiefs-Chargers nonetheless.
Early, too.
The Chargers capped an 18-play opening drive with a Chiefs touchdown. The team there isn’t a misprint.
Kansas City edge rusher Charles Omenihu got a sack-fumble on quarterback Easton Stick, and Mike Edwards scooped it and returned it 97 yards for a score — taking a moment to look toward a cheering Mahomes on the sideline.
A perfectly Chargers sequence: Even when it appears to be going well, it’s merely an illusion for what awaits at the finish.
4. A late-season impact
I didn’t anticipate many takeaways from the starters.
But here’s a potentially significant one: Omenihu has some momentum building at the right time.
With his strip sack Sunday, he has been a part of a sack in at least six straight games to conclude the regular season.
Mid-season form, in a way. Omenihu was suspended for the first six games of the year.
5. The injuries
Publicly, the Chiefs were consistent to say their primary objective Sunday remained winning the football game.
We know it was different: Stay healthy.
Mixed results.
Left tackle Wanya Morris, a late-season starter with Donovan Smith absent for the fifth straight week, left with a concussion. He’ll spend the preparation for his first NFL postseason in concussion protocol. He was replaced by Jawaan Taylor, whom the Chiefs had intended to give the night off, and he briefly left the game too, though he’d return.
Wide receiver Justyn Ross, in his opportunity to get some run, also left with an injury and did not return.
This story was originally published January 7, 2024 at 6:31 PM.