The game was meaningless, but the moment was not.

It was the last week of the regular season, and the Chiefs had the AFC West locked up. The Broncos were already out of the playoff race. For all intents and purposes, the outcome of the New Year’s Eve game didn’t matter.

But it mattered to Patrick Mahomes — and to the future of the Chiefs franchise.

With Alex Smith and the rest of the usual starters resting, Mahomes made his first start and began writing his chapter in Chiefs’ history.

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