Andy Reid has been here before.
Locked into the AFC's fifth seed, the Kansas City Chiefs don't have much to play for in Week 17, meaning the veteran coach has the option of sitting his starters Sunday against the San Diego Chargers.
Reid said Monday that he hasn't decided how he'll handle the game, per ESPN's Adam Teicher, but history makes a strong case for the coach yanking his first team.
As coach of the Eagles, Reid pulled the plug on his starters four times during his 14-year run in Philadelphia. Those squads were 3-1 in subsequent playoff games.
The counter argument is easy: The Chiefs could use a confidence-builder after Sunday's ugly 23-7 loss to the Colts. Indianapolis, a team that hasn't played a quality game in two months, slashed Kansas City in Arrowhead, making mincemeat of an Alex Smith-led passing attack that threw for a mere 132 yards through the air.
Update: Reid said Tuesday that starters and backups will share first-team practice reps this week. He won't decide until later in the week which group will play on Sunday.
Deviating from the usual routine is a bad sign for the Steelers, who need the Chiefs to win in San Diego as a lynch pin to a convoluted scenario in which coach Mike Tomlin's squad squeezes into the playoffs.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" broke down every Week 16 game.
