Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will sit out the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 18 clash against the Denver Broncos with the NFL playoffs approaching, the team confirmed Sunday afternoon.
The star duo was expected to sit out the NFL's season finale in Denver, despite being on the team's snowstorm-delayed flight to the Mile High City on Saturday night.
With the AFC's No. 1 seed secured, Andy Reid made the decision to bench the quarterback earlier in the week and Carson Wentz was expected to start under center for the reigning Super Bowl champions.
With Mahomes ruled out, it was believed that other key Kansas City starters, such as pass rusher Chris Jones and tight end Kelce, could also be benched.
An injury report released by the Chiefs on Friday suggested that other big names, including Kelce, would also have the week off.
And just over an hour before kickoff in Denver, Kansas City confirmed those suspicions, announcing that Kelce, Mahomes and Jones, along with others, were inactive.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce to miss Chiefs' Week 18 clash against Broncos
Running back Isiah Pacheco, Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis and Jawaan Taylor were also named on the Chiefs' inactive report.
Both Kelce and Mahomes still made the trip to Denver and the questioner was seen arriving at Mile High Stadium wearing gray pants and a matching hoodie in contrast to his usual stylish dress code.
Kelce was later captured arriving at the stadium while wearing dark-colored cargo pants and a beige-print fleece back over a black T-shirt, finishing off the look with a dark beanie and sunglasses.
The AFC West matchup is of no consequence to the 15-1 Chiefs, who have already clinched a berth to the AFC Divisional round that will take place the weekend of January 18.
However, that doesn't mean the game isn't important to the overall AFC playoff picture.
The Broncos (9-7) are clinging to the final playoff spot – seventh place – and will likely need a win to seal their berth in the NFL postseason.
If they don't win the game against KC, then their fate is out of their hands and one spot could go to the Cincinnati Bengals, who cruised to a 19-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night.
But the deciding game nearly descended into chaos as the Chiefs faced travel chaos on Saturday.
The Kansas City Chiefs finally landed in Denver after a chaotic day of travel on Saturday.
Both the quarterback and tight end were among the players who traveled to Colorado.
The Chiefs were forced to leave Kansas City four hours late, and a winter storm left the team's plane stranded on the tarmac.
After an hours-long delay, the Chiefs finally landed in the Mile High City, and Mahomes and Kelce were filmed stepping off the plane onto the snowy tarmac.
According to Fox4 News, the Chiefs were originally scheduled to leave for Denver around 2:45 p.m. on Saturday. But it wasn't until around 6:30 p.m. ET when they finally left.
The storm caused a “rapid buildup of ice” and forced authorities to close the airfield at Kansas City International Airport before the Chiefs could depart.
According to Fox4 News, the airport's deicing machine failed, delaying the departure of flights.
Some planes were even said to have been diverted to Omaha, Nebraska, more than 500 miles east of Denver.