Week 18 will look vastly different for the Kansas City Chiefs, with the franchise choosing to rest a host of starters for the trip to face the Denver Broncos at Mile High.

Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Drue Tranquill Trent McDuffie, Kareem Hunt, Nick Bolton, George Karlaftis, and Justin Reid are all listed as doubtful, while Isiah Pacheco, Jaylen Watson, Mecole Hardman, and Jawaan Taylor are out per the Chiefs’ X account.

So, the Chiefs will have many moving parts, which can disrupt team chemistry and lead to uneven performance on the field.

Against a Denver team fighting for its playoff life, that isn’t ideal.

“The Chiefs have clinched the AFC 1-seed, so Carson Wentz will start at quarterback and other backups will fill their lineup,” ESPN writes. “How competitive can they be against the Broncos, who are playing for a spot in the postseason? The Chiefs have generally done well in such situations with Andy Reid as their coach. They beat the Chargers in Week 18 last season with Blaine Gabbert at quarterback.”

In truth, the game’s result means little compared to ensuring that a host of players survive the game unscathed.

Player health will be Andy Reid’s No. 1 priority against the Broncos. Yes, winning would be nice, but having their full roster available for the first week of the playoffs is of the utmost importance to the Chiefs.

With one game left before a nice break for Kansas City’s assault on the postseason, a chance to end Denver’s playoff hopes with a team full of backups would be a good way to end the season and give a nice little dig at its division rivals in the process.