The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense used to feel like a Fourth of July fireworks show—loud, fast, and impossible to ignore. Now? It’s more like a soggy BBQ in October: smoke everywhere, but no heat. Patrick Mahomes is still slinging it, but even he can’t grill greatness on a cold burner. Something’s missing, and it’s not just Travis Kelce’s youth. The ground game is broken, and the Chiefs only have themselves to blame.
The running game has completely flatlined. And it isn't a slow leak. Rather, it's a full-blown blowout on the highway. The Chiefs' high-powered attack is now running on a donut, and it’s starting to shake the entire vehicle apart. The proof is in the painful statistics.
Kansas City’s running backs have combined for 94 yards on 28 carries through two weeks. That’s 3.35 yards per attempt. Patrick Mahomes, meanwhile, leads the team with 123 rushing yards. Let that sink in.
The magician is having to pull rabbits out of his own helmet. Ex-Lions QB Dan Orlovsky laid it bare: "Explosive runs by Chiefs this season (10+ yard gains):
7 -- Patrick Mahomes
6
5
4
3
2
1 -- Kareem Hunt, Isiah Pacheco."
That’s a terrifying imbalance for any team, let alone a team that was a three-peat contender months ago. Now, the core of the issue lies with Isiah Pacheco.
The once-violent runner looks a step slow. He has forced just a single missed tackle all season. The team believed he was back. Andy Reid said Pacheco "looked tremendous" in May, per the Kansas City Star's Sam McDowell. But the regular season is a different beast. The burst that defined him is missing in action. Kareem Hunt?
He’s reliable, sure, but he’s not scaring anyone. The Chiefs didn’t draft a back. They didn’t trade for one. And their lone free-agent flier, Elijah Mitchell, has been a healthy scratch at best. Internally, the confusion is palpable.
They expected Pacheco to be elite. Instead, the offense has become painfully one-dimensional. This puts immense pressure on a receiving corps already battling injuries. One problem feeds the other. Meanwhile, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy’s solution isn’t reassuring.
A Glimmer of Hope for the Kansas City Chiefs or More Confusion?
Nagy compared his backs to shooters. “The running back position, guys can get hot... We don't have anything in particular where we want to get one or the other more carries. It's like a shooter, when you get hot, you want them to keep shooting." But nobody has even warmed up. This "hot hand" approach feels like hoping for a lucky roll rather than a game plan.
The offensive line shares some blame. Advanced metrics show Pacheco is getting hit behind the line constantly. He ranks 42nd in yards before contact. Yet, he’s 8th in yards after contact percentage. He’s fighting for every inch, but the holes just aren’t there. It’s a collective failure from the ground up. So, what’s the answer?
Rookie Brashard Smith has a 4.39 speed but just one touch so far. Hence, the Chiefs must try something different, and soon. And Miami’s De’Von Achane is out here looking like a cheat code, averaging 6.0 yards per carry and making defenses look silly.
The front office’s inaction is the real story. Their big move was signing oft-injured Elijah Mitchell. The present condition echoes August rumors that the Chiefs were searching for running back help. They knew there was a problem, but never truly fixed it. That offseason mistake is now a regular-season crisis.
The Chiefs’ refusal to upgrade at RB is costing them. They’re 0-2, staring at 0-3. Mahomes is already in playoff mode. But is that sustainable? Andy Reid’s playbook is built on balance, but without a run threat, it’s all on Mahomes. Again.
If this were 2019, Reid could out-scheme anyone. But this isn’t 2019. Travis Kelce is slower, the receivers are hurt, and the line isn’t pushing piles. The Chiefs need a spark, not a prayer. Achane’s name keeps popping up for a reason. And if they don’t act fast, this season could slip away faster than a fumble in the red zone.