Chiefs’ Playoff Push Takes Center Stage: Kansas City Looks to Bounce Back from Shoutout Loss

Of course, the team already secured the AFC’s No. 1 postseason seed — and had multiple starters taking the week off, allowing younger players to gain valuable experience. While Reid certainly wasn’t expecting a 38-point blowout, he was able to identify some positives from the lopsided defeat.

“We got to play a lot of young guys,” Reid said after the game. “That experience is invaluable — especially against a good football team. We need to do better, obviously — but that opportunity, again, is something that’s special.”

With Patrick Mahomes inactive for the game, backup quarterback Carson Wentz was the starting signal-caller. While Wentz has been serviceable in relief this season, Sunday’s game was another story: the offense struggled mightily against Denver’s defense. They punted the ball five times — and managed just 98 net yards, which was in stark contrast to the Broncos’ 479.

“Obviously, not good enough,” Wentz said of the team’s performance. “We didn’t play great as a team — and I didn’t play my best, either. You move on from this one pretty quick. It was fun to get out there [and] fun to give myself — and a lot of the guys — a chance to just go out there and compete. But obviously, they were a better team today.”

Wentz completed 10-of-17 passes for 98 yards and no touchdowns. He was sacked four times as he endured consistent pressure that disrupted the offense’s rhythm. Kansas City’s lone scoring opportunity came late in the first half after a 25-yard completion to wide receiver Nikko Remigio helped set up a 51-yard field goal attempt. But as time expired, placekicker Harrison Butker missed.

“I missed some throws, did some things, wanted some plays back,” Wentz admitted. “I think we all do in some capacity. But I’ve got to play better. Unfortunately, we didn’t sustain a couple [of] drives early — and all of a sudden, we’re in the second half. So it was just a weird flow of the game — and all those things.”