Kansas City Chiefs fans were hoping to see veteran running back Isiah Pacheco back on the field for Sunday’s pivotal game against the Indianapolis Colts. Every game going forward is a must-win for the Chiefs, who are sitting at 5-5 and have lost two straight games.
Pacheco was a full participant at Wednesday’s practice but was limited on Thursday. Despite the slight downgrade, the signs out of Kansas City indicated the veteran RB could be ready to go for Sunday.
However, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid threw a curveball on Friday, when he told reporters that Pacheco will be ruled out for Sunday, per Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports. Reid said Pacheco did not have any setbacks this week, but the work this week was “literally to see where he’s at.”
Chiefs' Isiah Pacheco Gamble Could Blow Up in Their Face
This is not the news that Chiefs fans wanted to hear, as this running game desperately misses Pacheco’s presence. In last week’s loss to the Denver Broncos, the Chiefs ran for a dismal 62 yards as a team, which included 59 yards on 13 carries from Kareem Hunt.
Neither rookie running back Brashard Smith nor veteran Elijah Mitchell received a carry. Then, in Week 9 against the Bills, the Chiefs ran for 79 yards, with Hunt again contributing most of the production (49 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries).
Based on those stats and the magnitude of Sunday’s game, bringing back Pacheco appeared to be the perfect move to get back into the flow of things. However, Reid’s decision to do this could backfire completely.
While Hunt has shown that he can “carry” the workload, he doesn’t have the burst or explosive plays that you’ll need against this Colts’ run defense. Indianapolis’ defense is only giving up 92.3 rushing yards per game (fifth-best in the NFL) and 97.0 yards per game over its last three games.
However, the Colts are allowing 100.6 rushing yards per game at home this season. Hunt doesn’t put the fear into the Chiefs’ defense, nor does Smith. At least with Pacheco, you know he’s going to run hard and make the defense feel him.
Without its best running back on the field, Kansas City is putting itself at a disadvantage, as it can’t afford to lose on Sunday. The AFC Wild Card race is heating up as the Houston Texans jumped the Chiefs for eighth, putting an even bigger uphill battle in Reid & Co.'s path.
That said, it now puts pressure on the Chiefs to take down the Colts at Arrowhead, which is not impossible. However, doing it without Pacheco, who racked up 166 yards and a touchdown on 39 carries in his last three games before injury, is a bold move. We'll see if it pays off.