Erin Hooley/AP
When Patrick Mahomes was a rookie in 2017, the meaningless season finale was the only game he started that season.
But even then, Chiefs coach Andy Reid wasn’t going to take too many chances with the promising first-round pick against a Broncos’ defense with Von Miller on the field. So with the Chiefs leading the Broncos 24-10 in the fourth quarter, Reid pulled Mahomes and let third-stringer Tyler Bray turn out the lights.
But when the Broncos rallied for two touchdowns in a 3:59 span to tie the game 24-24 with 2:53 to play, Reid sensed an opportunity.