Andy Reid says Chiefs starters will play entire 1st half vs. Lions, but can we believe him?

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told the media Thursday about his ambitious plan for the team’s second preseason game, which is against the Detroit Lions on Saturday.

“As far as the play time goes, the ones will take a half and then we’ll kind of fill in after that and just kind of see how the rest of that goes for the third and fourth quarters,” Reid said.

That would mean starters like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, two of the guys that make the Chiefs such an unstoppable force, would be playing a full 30 minutes of exhibition football, 19 days before they’re scheduled to play their first regular season game.

This isn’t new for Reid. He always wants his starters to get decent preseason playing time to help them get in the rhythm of an NFL season. But at the same time, he’s putting his most important players in a risky position. If they get injured, it could cost them during the regular season.

The preseason injury threat is very real, whether it happens during an exhibition game or training camp. For example, Minnesota Vikings first-round QB J.J. McCarthy tore his meniscus in the team’s very first preseason game last week. He’s now had it fully surgically repaired, but it will cost him the entire 2024 season.

Reid isn’t ignoring these risks. Despite what he may say before a preseason game, his actions show he routinely protects his starters in preseason games. In the first two preseason games of 2023, Reid pulled his starters after one drive. He did the same thing on Aug. 10 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, despite saying he would play his starters the entire first quarter.

By saying he plans to play his starters for the entire first half against the Lions, Reid may be indicating that he could leave them in the game longer than last time. Of course it would be easier for everyone if he just came out and said this, but it’s probably better not to question the methods of a longtime NFL coach who has won two consecutive Super Bowls and is now looking to win a third.