Patrick Mahomes to Make 1st Career NFL Start vs. Broncos

The Kansas City Chiefs already have the AFC West title locked up, so they're going to use their Week 17 matchup with the Denver Broncos to get Patrick Mahomes some meaningful snaps in his rookie season. 

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed Mahomes will start Sunday against the Broncos, according to BJ Kissel of the team's official website.

Reid downplayed the possibility of any friction between Mahomes and Alex Smith, who has started every game for the Chiefs this year.

"Fortunately we have a quarterback who understands it," he said of Smith, per the Kansas City Star's Terez A. Paylor. "He's having an MVP-caliber year."

At 9-6, the Chiefs are locked into the fourth seed in the AFC. Even with a win over Denver, Kansas City would still lose the tiebreaker with the 10-5 Jacksonville Jaguars based on their respective records within the conference.

"We're in a position where we can do that and it gives the kid some experience," Reid said of starting Mahomes, per the Denver Post's Nicki Jhabvala.

Mahomes' only action this year came in the preseason when he threw for 390 yards and four touchdowns in four games. He had 11,252 passing yards and 93 touchdowns in his three seasons with Texas Tech prior to the Chiefs selecting him with the 10th overall pick.

Mahomes is clearly Kansas City's quarterback of the future, and Sunday's game will be an opportunity for Chiefs fans to see what might be in store within the next few years.