Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes Among Starters to Rest vs. Chargers; Blaine Gabbert to Start

The Kansas City Chiefs are locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoff picture, so they will not play quarterback Patrick Mahomes or some of their other starters during Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Head coach Andy Reid told reporters Wednesday that Mahomes and others will not be on the field as Kansas City looks toward the postseason. Blaine Gabbert will be under center.

While the majority of teams in the NFL would love to be 10-6 with someone like Mahomes under center, it has been an up-and-down season for Kansas City by its own elevated standards.

The reigning Super Bowl champions seemed to be well on their way to another dominant season with a 6-1 start but are since just 4-5. The offense in particular has been inconsistent and reached the 30-point mark just once during the last nine games.

By comparison, the Chiefs failed to reach the 20-point mark five times in that same span.

There is an argument to be made that having Mahomes and the rest of the starters play against the Chargers could help them work out any lingering issues that have hampered them throughout the season.

However, making sure he and other key players are healthy is far more important for the long-term Super Bowl goal. Mahomes in particular is someone who has consistently delivered in marquee moments throughout his career, and he is talented enough to do so again throughout the upcoming playoffs even though there has been some inconsistency of late.

As for the Chargers, they are simply playing out the string on a lost and disappointing season. They already fired head coach Brandon Staley and are just 5-11 on the campaign.

The bigger intrigue coming out of this game when it comes to Kansas City is which team it will face in the first round of the playoffs. The Buffalo Bills are the current No. 6 seed, but they face the Miami Dolphins in a winner-takes-the-AFC-East showdown on Sunday Night Football.