The Kansas City Chiefs went into full “roster protect” mode this week, placing receiver Rashee Rice and cornerback Trent McDuffie on injured reserve along with receiver Tyquan Thornton and cornerback Jaylon Watson.
The moves with Rice and Thornton were made because they’re both in the concussion protocol, while McDuffie and Watson are dealing with knee and groin issues, respectively. The last thing the Chiefs want to do is risk the health of both starting cornerbacks in a meaningless game on a short week, so the decision was made to shut them down for the season.
There was plenty of other action on the injured list for Kansas City, according to a piece written by Josh Alper of Pro Football talk. The list of players who are questionable includes offensive tackle Jaylon Moore (knee), defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi (illness), wide receiver Nikko Remigio (knee), defensive end George Karlaftis (illness), and linebacker Nick Bolton (illness).
Multiple reserves and new players will get the opportunity to step up in this one. The Chiefs signed defensive end Ethan Downs, cornerback Melvin Smith, and tight end Tyreke Smith to the active roster, and they also activated Nazeeh Johnson from injured reserve.
The big question for tonight’s game against the Denver Broncos is whether it will be competitive or not. The Chiefs are two-touchdown underdogs for the first time since 2013, according to a story a separate story written by Michael David Smith of PFT.
The last time this happened was in late December of 2013, when the Chiefs decided to rest their starters for the final game of the season against the Los Angeles Chargers after clinching their playoff position, according to Smith.
While this game does represent something of an opportunity for third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun, it’s really more of a referendum game of sorts for the Broncos.
This is a classic trap game for Denver ahead of their season finale at home against the Chargers, which could be a battle for the division title or playoff position, depending on what happens this week for both teams.
The Broncos defense has been struggling a bit for Denver’s last two games, so it will be interesting to see if Oladokun can do more than just hold the fort. The last thing Denver wants to do is let the Chiefs hang around, but the Broncos did that multiple times during a midseason stretch against some bad teams.