Kansas City Chiefs should consider sitting their stars this preseason
The NFL season is right around the corner and Kansas City Chiefs fans can’t wait to see this team build on its 2018 campaign. The Chiefs shouldn’t risk anything though. They should sit the star players through the preseason.
Preseason football is important. This isn’t an article saying that it isn’t. Preseason is important for the fringe roster players because it gives them an opportunity to prove their worth to an NFL team. That’s still true for the Kansas City Chiefs, who will need to see other players on the field before making final important decisions about their roster.
The players that we know are making the team and being 16-game starters during the regular season, however, should not be participating in the preseason at all.
We’ve seen this become more of a trend in the last year or so, as the Bears and Rams sat their starters in the preseason last year. Both of those teams ended up winning their divisions and making the playoffs (with one making it to the Super Bowl), so it’s safe to say not playing in the preseason didn’t hurt them all that much, if at all.
This year, Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones commented that he didn’t feel the need to play in the preseason games. Jones is an established wide receiver and with how easily injuries can pile up in the NFL today, this is an approach I’d like to see the Chiefs take this year and in the future.
#Falcons WR Julio Jones tells reporters that he’s not playing in the preseason. More and more players and teams are going this route for veterans.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 30, 2019
Let’s be real here for a minute.
While it’s obviously AWESOME to have a franchise quarterback who won an MVP in his first full season leading the offense, it comes at a price. That price is that if anything happens to Patrick Mahomes for an extended period of time, whether it’s an injury or what have you, any chance the Chiefs have at winning goes down the drain.
Say what you want about Chad Henne being a good backup and that might be true for two or three games MAX, but if he has to fill Mahomes’ shoes for an entire season, the Chiefs’ Super Bowl chances are shot.
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Mahomes getting injured in the preseason would be a giant punch in the gut. Losing other big name players like Chris Jones, Travis Kelce, and Tyrann Mathieu would be a huge loss too, which is why none of these star players should be suiting up in preseason games.
Typically, starters play one or two series in the first game, a quarter for the second game, a half for the third game, and then sit the fourth and final preseason game.
I say screw that.
Keep the starters in street clothes on the sidelines for the ENTIRE preseason because if the KC Chiefs lose any of their big time players, this season could end up being a wash. This team can’t afford to lose any stars. This is their best shot at competing for a championship because Mahomes is still on his rookie deal
Watching Henne or Chase Litton quarterback the offense throughout the preseason might not be as exhilarating and might not get the Kingdom to flock to Arrowhead or watch the games on TV, but Chiefs fans would be okay knowing their QB1 is healthy on the sidelines and ready to lead the charge toward a Super Bowl in 2019.
Next. Five Players Who Could Challenge Mahomes For MVP. dark
What are your thoughts on this Chiefs Kingdom? Do you think the starters should play in the preseason or would you be fine with them hanging out on the sidelines for the duration of preseason?