KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs will start backup Carson Wentz at quarterback on Sunday in Denver in a game that means nothing to Kansas City, which has already clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, but could mean everything to the Broncos.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid announced his decision to rest Patrick Mahomes on Wednesday, shortly before they returned to practice from an extended break following their Christmas Day win in Pittsburgh. But Reid declined to say who else might spend the day with Mahomes on the sideline, pointing out that only so many players can be rested given roster limitations.
“If someone wants to start messing with it,” Reid said, “there's not a whole lot of messing going on. So guys play.”
The Broncos would clinch a playoff berth as the No. 7 seed by beating the Chiefs, earning a trip to Buffalo for their postseason opener. If they lose, they would need the Jets to beat the Dolphins and the Steelers to beat the Bengals.
There is a good chance that Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, who sustained a calf strain a couple of weeks ago, will be one of their veterans getting the week off.
The same could go for running back Isiah Pacheco, who has bruised ribs, right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who has a sore knee, and veteran tight end Travis Kelce, who similarly skipped last year's Week 18 game.
Reid did say that he takes into consideration whether players have salary bonuses that they could achieve. And that could mean three-time All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins gets plenty of playing time against the Broncos.
Hopkins, who was acquired by the Chiefs in a midseason trade with Tennessee, needs nine catches to reach 65 and trigger a $250,000 bonus. He has 610 yards receiving, which means another 140 would earn him another $250,000. And if one of those catches is a touchdown, Hopkins would earn an additional $500,000 for catching six of them this season.
“We want the guys to be able to reach them if they're reachable,” Reid said.
It will be up to Wentz to deliver Hopkins the ball on Sunday.
He signed with Kansas City in the offseason as the latest veteran backup to Mahomes, following in the footsteps of Matt Moore, Chad Henne and Blaine Gabbert. And while Wentz has hardly played since the preseason — he was 2 for 2 for 20 yards in closing out a win in Cleveland — the ninth-year pro has earned the respect of just about everyone in the Chiefs locker room.
“I got to train with him in team camp, stuff like that. Carson is an elite QB and a lot of people take that for granted,” said fullback Carson Steele, who could be among those who get extra reps at Denver so that Pacheco and Kareem Hunt can get a break.
“It's really cool to see how he performs,” Steele said, “especially being a veteran like himself.”
Wentz has started 68 games, mostly with Philadelphia, where he was chosen for a Pro Bowl while going 11-2 during the 2017 season. He never quite played to that same lofty standard the rest of his time with the Eagles, which was derailed by an injury, and Wentz has only started eight games over the past three seasons with the Commanders, Rams and Chiefs.
His decision to sign with Kansas City was made in part with an eye on building his value and starting somewhere next season.
“It's obviously been different,” Wentz said, “but I've stayed locked in, stayed ready, prepared every week. I've taken some things from Pat, working with him, but every week I'm staying locked in and ready to go.”
NOTES: WR Mecole Hardman (knee) returned to practice, opening a 21-day window in which the Chiefs must activate him or put him on season-ending injured reserve. Reid said it is unlikely Hardman would play Sunday. ... LT D.J. Humphries (hamstring strain) could play against the Broncos. The former Pro Bowl pick, who is coming off a torn ACL, appeared in just one game after signing with Kansas City in late November before getting hurt. The Chiefs have had to patch together their offensive line without him, but the hope is Humphries will be ready for the playoffs. “He's feeling better. I just want to see how he does here in practice, give me one more go-around with him,” Reid said.
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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid speaks during a news conference following an NFL football game against the Houston Texans Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 27-19. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid walks on the sidelines during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Carson Wentz (11) passes in the pocket against the Cleveland Browns during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Richard)
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli airstrikes killed at least 10 people including a child early Saturday in southern Gaza, hospital staff said, while a new effort at ceasefire talks was said to be underway in Qatar.
A small boy cried over his father, and a woman draped herself over one of the bodies wrapped in white plastic. The three airstrikes hit a car, a house and people on the street in the city of Khan Younis, according to staff at Nasser Hospital.
There was no immediate comment from Israel's military.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said at least 59 people had been killed and more than 270 injured by strikes in the past 24 hours.
There were no immediate statements on the indirect negotiations in Qatar’s capital, Doha, toward a ceasefire after nearly 15 months of war. The Hamas militant group on Friday said talks had resumed and added that it was committed to reaching an agreement. It warned against misinformation, which it said can undermine public confidence.
The talks mediated by the United States, Qatar and Egypt have repeatedly stalled as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows to press on in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed. Fighters with Hamas, which wants Israeli forces out of Gaza completely, continue to regroup in areas where Israeli forces withdraw.
The war is by far the deadliest round of fighting between Israel and Hamas. It began when Hamas and other militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Around 100 hostages are still in Gaza, at least a third believed to be dead.
Families of hostages and others have rallied weekly for months to press Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire deal that would bring loved ones home.
In a video released by Hamas on Saturday ahead of the latest weekly rally, Israeli soldier and hostage Liri Elbag, speaking under duress, expressed anguish over her situation and mentioned being held 450 days.
“Today is the beginning of a new year; the whole world is celebrating. Only we are entering a dark year, a year of loneliness,” she said. She also said a fellow captive had been injured by the fighting in Gaza, adding, “We are living in an extremely terrifying nightmare.” She did not name the person injured.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 45,717 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which says women and children make up more than half the dead. The ministry doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally. It says uncounted bodies remain beneath rubble or in areas where emergency responders cannot reach.
Israel’s military says it only targets militants and blames Hamas for civilian deaths because its fighters operate in dense residential areas. The army says it has killed 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
The war has caused widespread destruction and displaced about 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, many of them multiple times. Winter has now arrived, and hundreds of thousands are sheltering in tents near the sea. A small number of children have died from exposure to the cold.
Meanwhile, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, relatives mourned an 18-year-old Palestinian who the Palestinian Health Ministry said was killed Friday during clashes with Israel’s army in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus. The ministry said nine other people were injured.
Palestinian health officials have said Israeli raids throughout the West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, have killed more than 800 Palestinians. Israel says most of these are militants, but youths throwing stones and people not involved in confrontations have also been killed.
A fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has held up for over a month, although its terms seem unlikely to be met by the agreed-upon 60-day deadline. Israel and Hezbollah had exchanged fire almost daily since the war in Gaza began.
Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war
Relatives mourn during the funeral of Palestinian Muhammad Abu Amer, 18, who was killed at night in an Israeli army raid, in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, Nablus, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Relatives mourn over the body of Palestinian Muhammad Abu Amer, 18, who was killed at night during an Israeli army raid at his funeral in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, Nablus, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Muhammad Abu Amer, 18, who was killed at night in an Israeli army raid during his funeral in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, Nablus, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
Palestinians carry white sacks containing the bodies of those killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes on the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians attend funeral prayers for two of the ten people killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes on the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Mourners carry the body of a Palestinian killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes, during his funeral in the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians inspect a car targeted in an overnight Israeli airstrike that killed its occupants in the town of Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Relatives of a Palestinian killed in overnight Israeli strikes, mourn over his body outside the morgue of Nasser hospital in the Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
