The Kansas City Chiefs are back at the practice facility on Monday after having a bye for Week 10. The bye came at a perfect time for the Chiefs, who suffered a road loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 9, without having their starting running back Isaiah Pacheco.
Pacheco suffered a sprained MCL in the Chiefs’ Week 8 win over the Washington Commanders. At the time of the injury, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that the veteran RB would be week-to-week.
However, ahead of the Chiefs’ game against the Bills, Tracy Wolfson of CBS Sports reported that head coach Andy Reid told her Pacheco avoided serious injury and should be back after the bye. But on Monday, Reid is singing a slightly different tune about the veteran’s status coming off the bye week.
According to Charles Goldman of AtoZ Sports, when asked about Pacheco, Reid said, “We’ll see.” Pete Sweeney of the Kansas City Star notes that the Chiefs' head coach "nudged" that Pacheco may take more time.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco Might Not Be Ready to Return in Week 11
This was not an ideal update for Chiefs fans, especially considering Kansas City inquired about Breece Hall ahead of the trade deadline, but couldn’t get a deal done.
The Chiefs’ ground attack, which had a favorable matchup against the Bills a couple of weeks ago, struggled mightily without Pacheco. Kansas City ran for 79 yards as a team, with Kareem Hunt leading the way with 49 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries.
While that was nice to see from Hunt, Chiefs fans were hoping that rookie Brashard Smith could take advantage of Pacheco’s absence. That didn’t happen, as Smith had seven yards on three carries on 12 offensive snaps (third-most this season).
Kansas City also called up a familiar face in Clyde Edwards-Helaire to fill Pacheco’s spot on the gameday. However, Edwards-Helaire was a non-factor with five yards on two carries.
While Monday’s update on Pacheco was not encouraging to hear, Chiefs fans hope that the 26-year-old can return to the field sooner rather than later. Before going down with the knee injury, it seemed like Pacheco was starting to round into form, recording at least 50 yards in three straight games.
If Pacheco cannot play Sunday against the Denver Broncos, who are giving up 91.2 rushing yards per game, it will be up to Hunt, Smith, and potentially Edwards-Helaire to try to make a dent in this stout defense.