Why the Chiefs' regular-season finale is far from meaningless for Carson Wentz

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Carson Wentz has watched Patrick Mahomes closely throughout this season for the Chiefs, a season that has been different than his previous eight in the NFL. Wentz, Kansas City’s backup quarterback, can recall the few moments this season he thought he would be needed in relief of Mahomes.

“He’s taken some big ones,” Wentz said of Mahomes, who has been hit a career-high 108 times. “There’s been a couple this year that I’m like, ‘Is this it?’ Without a doubt, you’ve got to be ready to go and stay locked in with the game plan.”

This week, Wentz steps into the most ideal situation possible for a backup QB: He’ll start against the Denver Broncos in the regular-season finale while Mahomes rests for the playoffs.

The Chiefs, having already clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed, earning a first-round bye and home-field advantage, are expected to rest several more of their best players — tight end Travis Kelce, pass rusher Chris Jones, cornerback Trent McDuffie, left tackle Joe Thuney and running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt.

Sunday’s game is meaningless for the Chiefs but not so for Wentz, who joined the team in April on a one-year deal.

“Obviously, I want to play well, have success out there,” Wentz said Wednesday. “More than anything, get a win. We know the circumstances, the reason I’m playing and not Pat. I still go out there and expect to win.”

Wentz signed with the Chiefs to further establish himself as one of the NFL’s top backups while helping the Chiefs in their drive to win a third consecutive Super Bowl.

“The preseason is helpful, but that was even limited and it seems like another lifetime ago already,” Wentz said. This will definitely be helpful, if needed in whatever capacity in the playoffs. Quite frankly, I’m just excited to get out there (Sunday) and play ball.”

WENTZ FINDS WORTHY FOR 6‼️ pic.twitter.com/bFmoVUBNIz

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) August 17, 2024

Wentz celebrated his 32nd birthday Monday. He knows a strong performance against the Broncos’ starting defense — since the Chiefs’ divisional rival needs to win Sunday to clinch a playoff spot — could lead him to become one of the top veteran QB options for a team looking to acquire a serviceable starter (think of Geno Smith with the Seahawks or Gardner Minshew with the Raiders), perhaps someone who can also mentor a rookie quarterback (like Sam Darnold with the Vikings or Jacoby Brissett with the Patriots).

“I’m confident in myself, my abilities,” Wentz said. “What I’ve done in the past is in the past — good, bad, indifferent. I’m still confident I can play at a high level, so I’m looking forward to hopefully doing that (Sunday) and having fun.”

Afer the Chiefs’ comfortable win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day, the team is expected to have a longer-than-usual rest period — 23 or 24 days — before its divisional-round playoff game. With the time off, Mahomes should be close to fully healthy for the start of the postseason run, alongside a rested and healthier Kelce, Jones (strained calf), right tackle Jawaan Taylor (knee soreness) and safety Justin Reid (back).

“It wasn’t a hard decision,” Andy Reid said of sitting Mahomes for Sunday’s game. “I’ve been through that before, so I’m not too worried about all of that (rust over rest scenario). It gives the other guys an opportunity here to grow.”

During his eight years with the Chiefs, Mahomes’ backups have been Matt Moore, Chad Henne and Blaine Gabbert, all of whom were in the twilight of their career and mostly operated the offense from within the pocket. Wentz is the most athletic quarterback to back up Mahomes.

“I have a lot of respect for him,” Reid said of Wentz. “He’s a good player and he has a good feel for this offense. He deserves an opportunity to get in there and play. At the same time, it gives Pat time to work on certain things he’ll do during the practices.”

Wentz, 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds, is expected to showcase more mobility and better accuracy against the Broncos than Gabbert did last season.

Wentz is also capable of being a running option if the Chiefs want to dust off the quarterback sneak. The last time the Chiefs ran a quarterback sneak was Oct. 17, 2019, the night Mahomes suffered a dislocated right kneecap against the Broncos.

“Even from training camp, just seeing him practice, you realize that he was going to win the MVP (in 2017 before the torn ACL in his left knee) and why, the talent that he has,” Mahomes said of Wentz a couple of weeks ago. “He gets after it every single day and he gives our defense great looks because he’s throwing great balls. He’s a very talented player that works extremely hard.”

WENTZ DOT.@cj_wentz x @skyymoore24 pic.twitter.com/2Ziohj37UG

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) August 8, 2024

Wentz said he has tried to incorporate some of Mahomes’ skills into his play. Reid said the Chiefs didn’t have to change their playbook much for Wentz. After having the entire regular season to learn Reid’s offense, Wentz is eager to see how much his altered playing style will be evident against the Broncos.

“Every offense does have its own nuances,” Wentz said. “I’ve been in a couple different ones, so I’m excited to have Coach Reid calling it for me and see what that’s all about. It does feel like a lot of similarities to what I did when I first came into the league with Coach (Doug) Pederson (in Philadelphia). It’s evolved over the years, but it does feel like it fits my play style. I’m excited for it.”

In the huddle Sunday, Wentz could be joined by left tackle D.J. Humphries (who missed the last three games with a left hamstring injury), receiver DeAndre Hopkins (who could earn $1 million by achieving three incentives in his contract) and rookie fullback Carson Steele.

“Carson is an elite quarterback and a lot of people take that for granted,” Steele said. “It’s really cool to see him and how he performs. I’m very excited to see what goes on and how it goes throughout the game.”

Two AFC teams and their fan bases — the Dolphins and the Bengals — might also be intrigued to see how Wentz leads the Chiefs against the Broncos. The Dolphins, who play late Sunday afternoon, need a win against the Jets and a Chiefs victory to clinch the AFC’s final playoff spot. If the Chiefs win and the Dolphins lose, the Bengals would clinch a playoff spot if they are victorious against the Steelers on Saturday night.

Wentz was just a second-year player in 2017, a regular season that ended with Andy Dalton, then the Bengals’ quarterback, becoming a hero for the Bills and their fans. Although the Bengals were already eliminated from the playoffs,

In the 2017 season, Andy Dalton led a Bengals team that had been eliminated from the playoffs to a dramatic comeback victory over the Ravens, helping the Bills clinch a playoff spot for the first time in 17 years. In appreciation, Bills fans donated more than $350,000 to Dalton’s foundation in less than a week.

If the Chiefs win Sunday, Wentz could have a similar experience with fans of the Dolphins or Bengals.

“I’ve had a charity for about 10 years, so anybody can donate to it whenever they want to,” Wentz said, smiling and laughing. “We’ll see what happens. I do recall that (with Dalton). That was funny to see.

“Without a doubt, we have the AO1 Foundation.”

(Photo: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)