Game Preview
from The Associated Press

Blaine Gabbert to make first NFL start since 2018 as playoff-bound Chiefs face Chargers

By JOE REEDY
Thu, January 4, 2024 at 8:48 PM CST

Sunday might be an opportunity to gauge how devoted Taylor Swift is as a football fan.

One of the few pressing questions going into the AFC West matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers is whether the megastar entertainer decides to take in the regular-season finale at SoFi Stadium, where she performed six sold-out shows on her Eras Tour in late July and early August.

If Swift shows up, she might see something resembling a preseason game — with boyfriend Travis Kelce on the sideline.

With the Chiefs (10-6) locked into the third seed for the playoffs, Patrick Mahomes won’t get a chance until next season to see if he can get his ninth win in 11 starts against the Chargers. Blaine Gabbert will be making his first start since 2018, when he was with the Tennessee Titans.

This will be the 49th start for Gabbert, who has played for six teams in 12 seasons.

Gabbert said he doesn’t expect many changes with him running the offense.

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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid watches from the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)ASSOCIATED PRESS

“We run coach (Andy) Reid’s offense, and ultimately, that’s what we’re going to run. Every quarterback is different, every quarterback does things differently, some things better than others et cetera, et cetera,” Gabbert said. “We’re just going to run our offense. Hopefully throw to the open guy, run the ball well and score some points.”

Along with Mahomes, the Chiefs could rest several other key players, and potentially cost them some significant milestones.

Kelce needs 16 receiving yards to extend his club record and the NFL record for a tight end with his eighth consecutive 1,000-yard season. Wide receiver Rashee Rice needs 58 yards receiving to break Dwayne Bowe’s franchise rookie record. And defensive tackle Chris Jones needs a half-sack to trigger a $1.25 million bonus for reaching 10 on the season.

Reid will not be sitting all of his starters, and he knows there are some meaningful numbers at stake.

“It depends on what the milestone is. We’ll see how all that goes,” Reid said.

The Chargers (5-11) have dropped four straight and seven of their last eight. They are locked into a top-eight draft pick while they search for a new coach and general manager. Brandon Staley and Tom Telesco were fired on Dec. 15.

In the midst of one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, the Bolts would like to end on a winning note for interim coach Giff Smith.

“The motivation to get ready for this game is not an issue. You have seen these last two games, these guys have come out and played hard. We just have to find a way to get over the hump,” Smith said. “As far as anything personal goes, that’s kind of irrelevant to me right now. I want to do right by these guys and the organization and go out there and beat Kansas City.”

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Los Angeles Chargers interim head coach Giff Smith, right, walks the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)ASSOCIATED PRESS

“We have to have a somewhat playoff mentality going forward,” Bills center Mitch Morse said, “and that’s not going to guarantee us to win all the games. But we can’t reach our goal if we don’t play, work, practice, come together with a sense of urgency.”

The Chiefs have a similar sense of urgency coming off their loss last Sunday in Green Bay. They squandered control of their own destiny when it came to the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, and the AFC’s lone first-round bye, with the lackluster 27-19 defeat.

“I’ve been on a team that was 6-4 and ended up winning the Super Bowl,” Mahomes said. “We have confidence every week that we’re going to find a way to win. Obviously, these last few weeks we’ve lost a couple, but we still have that mindset.”
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