With the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC locked up, the Kansas City Chiefs are in an interesting spot to close out the regular season. Several key players have already been ruled out or are tracking to miss Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos, creating a potential disadvantage in talent. With that said, it should also open the door for unproven players to get more opportunities.
Five of those players are worth keeping a close eye on this Sunday. Let’s take a closer look at who has the most to gain from showing out in Week 18.
RB: Carson Steele
It’s been an interesting year for Carson Steele since joining Kansas City as an undrafted free agent last spring. After shining in training camp and the preseason, he made the initial 53-man roster as a fullback-running back hybrid and peaked in Week 3 with 17 carries against the Atlanta Falcons. With Kareem Hunt joining the fold and Isiah Pacheco getting healthy, however, his workload dwindled over time. Week 18 should see the former UCLA standout get plenty of work alongside Samaje Perine in Denver. Head coach Andy Reid is a fan of Steele’s profile, so he’ll be eager to see if the first-year man can make the most of his expanded workload.
OL: Kingsley Suamataia, Hunter Nourzad and C.J. Hanson
The Chiefs should have several rookies rotate in along the offensive line on Sunday afternoon, as Zack Eisen of Kansas City Chiefs On SI wrote about this week. The headliner of the group is Suamataia, who broke camp as the club’s starter at left tackle but descended to lows as bad as being a healthy scratch at one point. Suamataia’s development remains critical as a second-round pick. Elsewhere, Nourzad and Hanson have been routine omissions on game day but should both see the field in Week 18. This is the first non-preseason chance Kansas City will get to see how its fifth- and seventh-round picks fare against NFL players in a game environment. With Trey Smith set to hit free agency in March, these reps could prove to be invaluable.
DL: Felix Anudike-Uzomah
After a quiet rookie season, Felix Anudike-Uzomah still hasn’t managed to live up to the hype of a first-round pick. With that said, Sunday can see him build on what he’s done throughout the year. Christmas Day’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers was perhaps his best outing thus far, seeing him record three tackles and a sack in Week 17. The Kansas State product logged two pressures after combining for one in his previous five games, so momentum is on his side. Given the uncertainty of Charles Omenihu’s future with the team beyond this year, Sunday is a good window for Anudike-Uzomah to help justify earning more playing time in year No. 3.
S: Jaden Hicks
Weeks ago, Reid didn’t hold back praise when he flat-out said safety Jaden Hicks is a “good player” who had “earned” the right to be on the field more. That’s been the case since then, and the fourth-rounder reached new heights with 53 defensive snaps played in Week 17. In the four games following Reid’s comments, Hicks has 11 combined tackles with three passes broken up and a pair of interceptions. It’s likely that Chamarri Conner returns from his concussion this weekend but with Justin Reid being listed as doubtful, work will be there for Hicks to keep taking advantage of.
