Despite Struggles, Carson Wentz Feels Week 18 Start Was a 'Blessing' for Playoffs

Although Wentz had a rough outing to close out the regular season, he believes the experience could come in handy come playoff time.

Jan 5, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Carson Wentz (11) looks to pass the ball in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

It's hard to find too many silver linings in an insignificant Week 18 game, let alone one that ended in a 38-0 shutout loss. Still, though, the Kansas City Chiefs did manage to learn a thing or two about themselves in a tough defeat at the hands of the Denver Broncos.

First and foremost, the Sunday afternoon contest gave the back-to-back Super Bowl winners a chance to evaluate their depth. In a game of razor-thin margins, all it takes is one injury to thrust someone else into the lineup during a pivotal game. Playoff environments are no different, as Kansas City is quite familiar with. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has left multiple postseason contests early, after all.

In the unfortunate event of something similar happening later this month or in early February, backup Carson Wentz feels prepared for whatever is asked of him. Despite a rough showing against Denver to end the regular season, he believes any and all experience comes in handy with more live reps now in the books.

“I'll for sure be ready," Wentz said. "Whatever capacity is needed, I'll for sure be ready. That's the blessing of this week for myself [and] for a lot of guys. Obviously, the result was not good but at the end of the day, we got guys out there some reps that could come invaluable down the stretch here if needed."

In the days leading up to the Broncos game, Wentz said he was "excited to get out there and play ball" and stressed wanting to have a fun time with his other reserve teammates. Contrary to those expectations, however, not a ton of fun was had in Denver. The 32-year-old completed 10 of his 17 pass attempts but notched just 98 yards and didn't lead the offense to any points. Wentz averaged -0.37 EPA/play on Sunday, which ranked 29th out of 31 quarterbacks to log at least 20 plays in Week 18.

There likely is some truth to Wentz's assessment, though. After nearly a full calendar year without a start in a regular-season game, it's always good to get back into the swing of things. Executing the offense and its game plan during practice is one thing, but it's another to do so with a different playoff-caliber defense on the other side. Additionally, building chemistry with different offensive line and skill player configurations is invaluable. Those instances, even in a limited sample size, can always be positive.

Last week, head coach Andy Reid said Wentz "should be starting" somewhere in the NFL. Week 18 definitely didn't justify his case, yet there's still something to take away from it. Should the journeyman signal-caller be relied on in a high-leverage moment, he now has a larger bank of memories to draw from to help keep the Chiefs' three-peat push alive.

That applies to him, as well as everyone else who appeared in Week 18's loss.

Read More: Chiefs at Broncos Snap Counts – KC's Priorities Clear in Week 18, with a Few Surprises