KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Now the fun officially begins for the defending Super Bowl champs.
Sunday's 38-21 home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers capped off the winningest regular season in franchise history.
Locking up the AFC’s lone postseason bye in late December, Andy Reid said his club will use the time to briefly unwind, not unplug.
“Their minds won't go far from it. It's just not how this group’s wired,” Reid told the media during a post-game press conference.
Backups littered the field during the team’s regular season finale. Second-string quarterback Chad Henne started in place of Patrick Mahomes, completing 23 of 32 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns.
“This was a lot like a fourth preseason game,” Reid said. “We were able to get a good look at some of the young guys. Some of the old guys were able to knock some of rust off."
As the team’s injury report grows, KC could benefit from a week off. Rookie linebacker Willie Gay Jr. was unable to finish Sunday’s game after spraining his left ankle.
The position already is thin for KC, with veteran Ben Niemann (hamstring) and Anthony Hitchens (Reserve/COVID-19 list) missing the team’s last two games.
Whether players are missing time for rest of recovery, the team said time off this deep in the year is a luxury.
“Just take care of themselves and take advantage of the time and rest,” Reid said on his message to the 14-2 team. “And then we'll get back to it here.”
