The Kansas City Chiefs (15-2) rested many starters, including Patrick Mahomes, for today’s game against the Denver Broncos (10-7). Unsurprisingly, Kansas City struggled immensely in the contest without Mahomes, losing 38-0 behind quarterback Carson Wentz.
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The Chiefs’ terrible showing led FOX Sports personality Nick Wright to make a case for Patrick Mahomes as MVP. He implied Kansas City’s awful showing proved just how important Mahomes is to the Chiefs’ success.
So, we all agree that Mahomes is the MVP now, right?
— nick wright (@getnickwright) January 5, 2025
Fellow Twitter/X users, however, weren’t buying into Wright’s troll. With the No. 1 seed clinched, Kansas City sat many regular starters, including Travis Kelce and Chris Jones this afternoon. Commenters also believe the Chiefs didn’t actually try to beat the Broncos because they’re “scared” of Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals.
Chiefs Scared they would have been takin out by the Bengals in the playoffs….
— Zack Diesbach (@DiesbachBz) January 5, 2025
Why? Because the Chiefs are trying to lose to avoid Joe Burrow? Nope
— Brandon (@Brandon51786) January 5, 2025
Ducking the Bengals? Couldn’t be my MVP
— Brayden Larson (@BraydenLarson) January 5, 2025
Stop it.
Disgusting effort, 0 urgency or assertiveness to win.
Basically gave broncos playoff birth.
Chiefs SCARED of burrow.
— SportsTalk1504 (@SportsTalk1504) January 5, 2025
Cincinnati (9-8) entered Week 18 with a 6% chance of making the playoffs. With their 19-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, they needed Denver and the Miami Dolphins to lose their regular season finales to earn a postseason bid.
Unfortunately for them, the Broncos’ starters whipped Kansas City’s backups and clinched the AFC’s No. 7 seed in the process.
Are the Chiefs “ducking” the Bengals?
Patrick Mahomes has a 15-3 playoff record in his NFL career. Two of those defeats came at the hands of seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady. The other was to Burrow and the Bengals in the 2021 AFC Championship game, a contest the Chiefs led 21-3 late in the first half.
Burrow (3-2) has a winning record against Mahomes. All five matchups have been decided by three points or less. That includes their Week 2 battle this year, which the Chiefs won 26-25 on a last-second field goal that followed a hotly debated 4th down penalty against the Bengals.
If Cincinnati claimed the AFC’s No. 7 seed, Burrow and Co. would have faced the No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills on Super Wildcard Weekend. The Bengals then would have traveled to Kansas City for the AFC Divisional round if they knocked off the Bills.
Now, the Chiefs don’t have to worry about Cincinnati at all.
Kansas City is on a quest for a third consecutive Super Bowl, a feat no franchise has ever accomplished. It makes sense that they’d rather potentially encounter Bo Nix – who’s talented but is also a rookie with no NFL playoff experience – on their journey instead of Burrow.
Sunday’s game, for all intents and purposes, was meaningless for the Chiefs. They’d likely have played their backups even if winning would have kept the Bengals from stealing a playoff berth.
Their sights are set on something greater than a postseason appearance. But that doesn’t mean avoiding Burrow couldn’t have been part of the plan.
