Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will sit out the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 18 game against the Denver Broncos as the NFL playoffs loom, the team confirmed Sunday afternoon.
The star duo was expected to sit out the NFL season finale in Denver, despite being on the team’s snowstorm-delayed flight to the Mile High City on Saturday night.
With the AFC No. 1 seed locked up, Andy Reid made the call earlier this week to bench the quarterback, while Carson Wentz was expected to start under center for the reigning Super Bowl champions.
With Mahomes ruled out, it was believed that other key Kansas City starters, such as pass rusher Chris Jones and tight end Kelce, could also be on the bench.
An injury report released by the Chiefs on Friday suggested several other big names, including Kelce, would also get the week off.
And just over an hour before kickoff in Denver, Kansas City confirmed those suspicions, announcing that Kelce, Mahomes and Jones, along with others, were inactive.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will sit out the Chiefs’ Week 18 game against the Broncos
Running back Isiah Pacheco, Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis and Jawaan Taylor were also named on the Chiefs’ inactives report.
Both Kelce and Mahomes still made the trip to Denver and the signal caller arrived at Mile High Stadium wearing gray pants and a matching hoodie, a departure from his usual dapper suit style.
Kelce was later captured arriving at the stadium rolling up in dark cargo pants and a patterned beige fleece on the back over a black T-shirt, completing the look with a dark beanie and sunglasses.
The AFC West matchup holds no significance for the 15-1 Chiefs, who have already secured a bye for the AFC Divisional round scheduled for the weekend of January 18.
However, that doesn’t mean the game isn’t important to the overall picture of the AFC playoffs.
The Broncos (9-7) are clinging to the last spot in the playoffs – the seven seed – and will likely need a win to seal their entry into the NFL postseason.
If they don’t win the game against KC, their fate is out of their hands and a spot could go to the Cincinnati Bengals, who beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 19-17 on Saturday night.
But the deciding game was almost thrown into turmoil when the Chiefs faced travel chaos on Saturday.
The Kansas City Chiefs finally landed in Denver on Saturday after a chaotic day of travel
Both the quarterback and tight end were among the players who traveled to Colorado
The Chiefs were forced to leave Kansas City four hours behind schedule as a winter storm left the team plane on the runway.
After hours of delay, the Chiefs finally landed in the Mile High City, with Mahomes and Kelce filmed stepping off the plane onto the snowy runway.
According to Fox4 News, the Chiefs were scheduled to leave for Denver on Saturday around 2:45 p.m. But it wasn’t until around 6:30 PM ET when they finally left.
The storm led to “rapid ice accumulations” and forced authorities to close the airfield at Kansas City International Airport – before the Chiefs could depart.
According to Fox4 News, the airport’s de-icing machine malfunctioned, delaying flight departures.
Some planes, it was said, were even diverted to Omaha, Nebraska – more than 500 miles east of Denver.