"200 IQ play by Chiefs," "Scared of Bengals" - NFL fans divided on Kansas City's plans for Week 18 clash vs. Broncos

The Kansas City Chiefs are playing on Monday; it was disclosed that they will be resting Patrick Mahomes, and possibly with him, their other starters in the season finale at the Denver Broncos.

Having clinched the AFC's top seed and first-round bye at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas, the defending Super Bowl champions are now expected to play Carson Wentz, with third-stringer Chris Oladokun potentially getting a few snaps as well.

Fans have since shown divisiveness towards the plan, especially as it pertains to the Cincinnati Bengals' playoff hopes, which hinge on them defeating the Steelers on Saturday, and then hoping that the Broncos and Miami Dolphins lose the next day (in which case tiebreaks will apply):

"Please let them win," one fan wrote.

More of it can be seen below:

"Losing this week would be the ultimate embarrassment," one warned.

"Weak way to get in," another said.

"They throw this thing to avoid any chance of Joe B," another predicted.

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Broncos urged to still play hard for playoff spot vs. Chiefs reserves

Meanwhile, at least one person has warned the Broncos against relaxing against what amounts to the Chiefs' B-team: the Denver Gazette's Mike Sanford. He opens by stating that tanking does not exist in the NFL - not even currently among the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants, who have been rumored to want to lose as many games as possible in exchange for better odds at landing the likes of Shedeur Sanders.

If Raiders coach Antonio Pierce, who has been on the hot seat because of his team's poor performance, and Drew Lock, a veteran quarterback looking to increase his worth in free agency, have won games that they should theoretically be losing, then it reasons that Andy Reid will follow in their footsteps, albeit to help Carson Wentz advance his redemption tour.

That is why he urges the Broncos in a special editorial piece:

"What I do know is that the game Sunday at Empower Field must be earned and won't be given... Prepare like you are playing the Chiefs, fully loaded, in the AFC Championship Game. Recreate the same environment that led to a blowout win over the Colts. Treat this game like it is against your hated division rivals."

Kickoff is at 4:25 PM ET/2:25 PM MT on CBS.