The Kansas City Chiefs have one more tune-up remaining before they officially start their quest to regain the Vince Lombardi Trophy. On Friday, they will host the Chicago Bears in their final preseason game of 2025.
Last Friday, they visited the Seattle Seahawks and lost, 33-16. For the most part, head coach Andy Reid didn't play any of his starters, but that will apparently change for their last exhibition contest.
He told the media that he will have his first-stringers on the field versus Chicago, although he doesn't know how long he will leave them out there for.
"I'm just going to play it by ear, they're going to start, they're going to start it off, and then we'll see how it goes from there," Reid said.
NFL teams usually don't play their starters in preseason games, but there are a few who will give such players a limited number of snaps, especially in their final preseason game.
Many feel it is foolish to play starters in such meaningless games because of the risk of a serious injury. But the counter to that argument is the fact that putting a team's first-stringers on the field for at least a few offensive series gives that team an advantage in Week 1 of the regular season.
The Chiefs are coming off a lopsided loss in last season's Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles. Coming into that game, they were going for an unprecedented third straight Vince Lombardi Trophy, and many pundits were calling them a dynasty after they had won three world championships in the previous five seasons.
Now, Kansas City has the look of a wounded operation, and some are counting it out for the 2025 season.
Rising wide receiver Rashee Rice will almost certainly be suspended by the league, possibly for a long stretch, and wide receiver Marquise Brown and backup running back Kareem Hunt are banged up.
But, as usual, Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in football, at least in a vacuum, and that means that the Chiefs can still beat anyone, especially when it matters most.
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