DENVER — On a brisk Sunday afternoon, Patrick Mahomes was seen on the sidelines bundled up in a jacket and sweatpants, with a handwarmer pouch tucked around his waist.
This outing marked an unusual game day off for the Kansas City quarterback.
Looking ahead, Mahomes and the Chiefs are focused on the playoffs, aiming for their third consecutive Super Bowl title.
The Chiefs experienced a disheartening 38-0 defeat against the Denver Broncos, a game that would quickly fade from their memory as it bore no weight on their playoff positioning.
Having already clinched a first-round bye as the top seed in the AFC, this game served little purpose for Kansas City.
“Today wasn’t ideal, but we’re keeping our eyes on the future as a team,” said Carson Wentz, who filled in for Mahomes and completed 10 of 17 passes for 98 yards before exiting.
“Pat and everyone else are aware of the road ahead and what we’re capable of achieving. Our focus remains on that.”
The Chiefs were also set to spend an additional night in Denver, as snow and ice impacted travel conditions back to Kansas City.
The weather even delayed their arrival in Denver the previous Saturday.
Once they return home, the plan is to rest.
Coach Andy Reid is still deciding on the specifics for a Chiefs team that will not play again until at least January 18.
For Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the other key players who sat out against the Broncos, it might just be around 24 days of downtime between their Christmas Day game and the playoff action.
“A silver lining was that we had a chance to give many young players some valuable experience,” Reid mentioned.
“That kind of exposure is crucial, especially against a quality team. We need to improve.”
With Wentz and backup Chris Oladokun at the helm, the offense struggled significantly, accumulating merely 98 total yards and converting only 1 out of 9 third downs.
The Chiefs matched their number of first downs with the number of punts (five), resulting in their first shutout since December 16, 2012, when they lost 15-0 to Oakland.
“Clearly, that wasn’t good enough. We didn’t perform well as a unit, and I didn’t play my best either,” Wentz remarked.
“We need to quickly put this one behind us.”
Mahomes’ return to the starting position is eagerly anticipated, and Reid will have sufficient time to devise a strategy leading into the playoffs.
His record following a bye week stands at 22-4 — 9-3 with Kansas City — and he has been successful 7 out of 8 times after a first-round bye during his tenure with both the Philadelphia Eagles and Chiefs.
“It’s always exciting when the competition intensifies,” said safety Bryan Cook.
“The stakes are elevated, and it genuinely feels different.”
For Wentz, taking over for Mahomes represented a significant opportunity to showcase his talents.
He’s aspiring to emulate Sam Darnold, utilizing a season as a backup to secure a starting position for the upcoming year.
He certainly entered the game with enthusiasm, delivering a pre-game speech emphasizing, “Confidence and swagger — believe you’re the best man for the job today.”
On this cold day, the standout quarterback was Broncos rookie Bo Nix, who showcased an impressive performance with 26 completions out of 29 attempts for 321 yards and four touchdowns.
“He was highly efficient and effectively directed the offense,” Reid commented on Nix.
“He’s a talented player.”
Regarding Wentz’s performance, Reid stated, “He had some positive moments mixed with a few throws he will wish to have back. Overall, he did reasonably well.”
