The Kansas City Chiefs offense just put up one of the best performances of the Andy Reid era in Week 8, and that's saying a lot. For the first time, Patrick Mahomes finally had his entire supporting cast healthy and ready to roll. They put up 31 points and shut down the Las Vegas Raiders, even though they benched their starters down the stretch.
Now, Kansas City will host the Washington Commanders as 12.5-point favorites. Jayden Daniels will miss the game, and that has left the door wide open for another blowout. That's great news for this team's once-struggling running back corps.
Chiefs' Running Backs Could Thrive in Week 8 Against Washington
It took them a while, but the Chiefs may have finally found a running game. Isiah Pacheco has looked like his old explosive self in the past couple of weeks, and Andy Reid is getting seventh-round rookie Brashard Smith more involved. While Kareem Hunt won't give them much, he's still been solid in goal-line situations.
The Commanders give up the eleventh-fewest rushing yards in the league at just 126.0 per game, which is roughly what the Chiefs have averaged for the season (123.4, the 12th-most). But with a potential blowout, the Chiefs will look to run out the clock, giving their three-headed RB committee a chance to showcase their skills.
Pacheco turned 15 carries into 57 yards and his first touchdown of the season against the Raiders. He's still leading all Chiefs running backs in snaps, and he should be in for a bigger role in Week 9. As for Smith, he played a season-high in snaps (28) during Week 7, and while he wasn't very efficient on the ground (14 carries for 39 yards), he impressed with his pass-catching skills (five catches for 42 yards).
Hunt was the odd man out against Las Vegas, logging just four carries for 18 yards, but given that he's the oldest of the trio, it may have been just a maintenance day for the veteran in what turned into a blowout. Still, if Smith gets more involved in passing downs, his playing time could continue to trend down.
The Chiefs were tangled up in rumors for star running backs like Breece Hall, De'Von Achane, and Alvin Kamara, all of whom would obviously be a big upgrade for that unit. But if the offense continues firing on all cylinders and they have another strong game in Week 9, they might feel comfortable rolling with this core and using their trade assets to address other issues.