The Buffalo Bills held off the New England Patriots on Sunday, preventing the Kansas City Chiefs from locking up the AFC’s 1-seed. They very nearly gave the Pittsburgh Steelers some big help, as the Chiefs would’ve had nothing to play for.
Because of how good Andy Reid’s teams have been over the years, there are plenty of examples to look at. If you go far enough back to 2004, his Philadelphia Eagles clinched the 1-seed with two weeks to go in the regular season. He rested Donovan McNabb, Brian Westbrook, and other important starters for the final two weeks of the regular season.