The Kansas City Chiefs are heading into their Christmas Day matchup against the Denver Broncos with their quarterback room stretched to the limit - and then some. With both Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew now on injured reserve, Kansas City is turning to its third-string option: Chris Oladokun.
Mahomes, the face of the franchise and one of the league’s premier signal-callers, was lost for the season last week with a torn ACL. That alone would’ve been a seismic blow to any team, but things got even tougher for the Chiefs when Minshew - who stepped in admirably in Mahomes’ absence - suffered a knee injury of his own during Sunday’s game against the Titans. While Minshew avoided an ACL tear, the damage was enough to end his season, landing him on IR as well.
Enter Chris Oladokun, a fourth-year quarterback who’s about to get his first real shot at leading an NFL offense. Originally drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round back in 2022, Oladokun came out of South Dakota State with raw tools and mobility, but little fanfare. Now, he finds himself at the center of a playoff-contending team’s hopes - and on national television, no less.
Oladokun saw his first significant NFL action in relief of Minshew on Sunday. He completed 11 of 16 passes for 111 yards - a solid showing, especially given the circumstances. But he also took four sacks, losing 44 yards in the process, a reminder that adjusting to NFL speed - especially behind a banged-up offensive line - is no small task.
This won’t be Oladokun’s first time on the field against Denver. He made his regular-season debut in Week 18 last year in a blowout loss to the Broncos, taking five snaps, rushing once for five yards, and getting sacked once.
That was mop-up duty. Thursday will be anything but.
To help stabilize the quarterback depth chart, the Chiefs signed Shane Buechele off the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad. Buechele, who spent time with Kansas City previously, brings familiarity with the system and will likely serve as the backup on Thursday. It’s a full-circle moment for Buechele, and a necessary insurance policy for a team suddenly thin at the most important position in football.
For the Chiefs, this is a test of depth, resilience, and coaching. Andy Reid and his staff have navigated turbulent waters before, but this is a different kind of challenge. With Mahomes and Minshew both out, the offense will need to be tailored to Oladokun’s strengths - expect more quick reads, designed rollouts, and perhaps a heavier reliance on the run game to keep things balanced.
The Broncos, meanwhile, have to be licking their chops. Their defense has been opportunistic all season, and now they’ll face a young quarterback still finding his footing in the league. But underestimating Oladokun could be dangerous - the Chiefs are still a well-coached, championship-caliber team, and strange things tend to happen in December football.
One thing’s for sure: this isn’t the Christmas Day quarterback matchup anyone expected. But it just might be the one that defines how far the Chiefs can go from here.