Should the Kansas City Chiefs rest their starters in Week 17?

Andy Reid will soon address the Kansas City media in his usual day-after press conference. One of the first questions asked of him will be what he plans to do in Week 17 with the Chiefs already locked into the No. 5 seed. They can't move up or down so the game is, from a playoff seeding standpoint, meaningless.

I expect Andy Reid to say something along the lines of "we'll see" how the week goes and not give a firm answer.

There are arguments for either side on how the Chiefs should handle Week 17. Some say they should rest the starters and go into the Wild Card round as healthy as possible. Others say they need the momentum and should play the starters to win the game.

One way isn't obviously a better choice than the other. The Chiefs could roll the Chargers and then get smoked in the playoffs. They could get beat down in San Diego (as they often do) and come back to win their first playoff game.

Of course, that doesn't mean we don't have opinions on what they should do.

If I'm running the team, I play the starters for at least the first half. Get in a good half of work, build some momentum offensively against a defense that is 24th in the NFL in yards allowed. The Chiefs can (hopefully) see the return of Justin Houston and Branden Albert, who have both been injured for multiple weeks. Each of those players needs to get at least a little bit of playing time under their belt before the playoff game.

This is the type of thing you have to judge based on feel on how the game is going but I do think the Chiefs need to play the starters for an extended period of time. If they put in a good half of work, I'd be content with resting them early. But they need at least some action. They shouldn't sit for the entire game.

I'm not asking you what you think Andy Reid will do. But what should he do?