The stars come out at SoFi Stadium, regardless of movie celebrities or NFL stars. The final regular-season game at the pristine Inglewood stadium features the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers.
That means Patrick Mahomes is an official shoo-in to be on the field, right? Not so fast.
Patrick Mahomes’ Week 18 Status Revealed Versus Chargers
Yes, the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback for the Chiefs will technically be on the field for Chiefs vs. Chargers.
Except he’ll be standing on the sidelines with no shoulder pads and helmet.
Mahomes was given the green light by head coach Andy Reid to take a breather for the AFC West battle between the Chiefs and Chargers. Reid chose to rest his star quarterback in the final game of the season — all in the name of keeping Mahomes healthy for the playoffs.
The Chiefs clinched the AFC West title officially on New Year’s Eve by beating the Cincinnati Bengals in the conference title game rematch. Had the Chiefs lost to a Joe Burrow-less Cincy team, Reid and the Chiefs likely would’ve entertained the idea of playing Mahomes.
Instead, Mahomes helped secure another division crown for K.C., extending its personal streak to eight consecutive seasons of winning the AFC West.
Mahomes’ 2023 Season in Review
While Mahomes has earned the rest, did he do enough to earn another Pro Bowl appearance?
Mahomes, miraculously, earned enough votes to secure another nod. However, this season wasn’t considered his best season from a statistical standpoint.
The veteran QB settled for only 27 touchdown passes, 14 less compared to his Super Bowl-winning season of 2022. While he managed to hit 4,183 yards, that mark becomes his fewest yardage in a season since 2019. But that was the year of his first title run.
MORE: Kansas City Chiefs Depth Chart
Finally, Mahomes went 10-6 overall as the Chiefs’ starter. But the six losses now represent the most regular-season defeats in his seven-season career. Some of those defeats were against teams Mahomes has had past success against — the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, and Las Vegas Raiders.
Despite being unable to put up astronomical numbers or match his past uncanny production, Mahomes is still playoff-bound with the Chiefs. He’s yet to miss the postseason since taking the QB reins in K.C.
Who Takes Over for Mahomes Vs. Chargers?
Blaine Gabbert gets to handle and run the Chiefs’ offense with Mahomes sidelined.
Gabbert is no stranger to leading NFL offenses. He’s done it since 2011 — except Gabbert has guided more than one team in his 13-season career. He’s suited up for six different franchises with the Chiefs representing his sixth stop.
For his career, Gabbert is 13-35 as a starting QB. He’s thrown 51 total touchdown passes to 49 interceptions and has racked up 9,333 career passing yards.
But he has been involved in a Super Bowl-winning atmosphere before. He was the backup to Tom Brady when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced Mahomes and the Chiefs during the 2020 season’s big game.
Now, Gabbert becomes QB1 for one day only with the Chiefs as Mahomes will rest up for the AFC playoffs.
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