Alright Kansas City Chiefs fans: you can now exhale.
After suffering a gnarly hit to his right knee in week eight, running back Isiah Pacheco was diagnosed with an MCL sprain. However, according to NFL reporter Tracy Wolfson, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has confirmed that Pacheco avoided anything too serious and should be back following Kansas City’s bye in week 10.
Pacheco will be out for the Sunday, Nov. 2 heavyweight matchup between the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, but with plenty of time to recover with the bye coming next week, he should be back on the field sooner than most would’ve thought after seeing the hit that knocked him out.
Here’s the hit that caused the injury in week eight against the Commanders:
The timing of the hit looked precarious, to say the least. The Washington defender’s helmet made contact with Pacheco’s knee just before he planted the right foot, leading to an incredibly awkward looking landing.
Luckily for Pacheco and the Chiefs, he was able to avoid an injury to the ACL, which likely would have caused the 26-year-old to miss most, if not all of the remainder of the regular season.
Running Back By Committee For Chiefs in Buffalo; Familiar Face Back in Mix
In the absence of their lead back, Kansas City will have a few places to turn to in order to get it’s run game going.
First and foremost, the bulk of snaps should be expected to be taken by Kareem Hunt, who has played a 1A role behind Pacheco for much of the season. The 30-year-old NFL vet has carried the ball 62 times through eight weeks, gaining 245 yards. He has four touchdowns, while Pacheco only has one, despite his smaller role in the run game.
Hunt is a big, heavy runner, making him a perfect red zone threat. If the Chiefs want to keep Hunt as more of a red zone threat, Brashard Smith could see an elevated role on early downs outside the red zone. He’s carried the ball 25 times this season, registering a season high 14 carries against Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago.
Kansas City’s RB3 for Sunday will be a familiar face in two-time Super Bowl Champ, Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Edwards-Helaire signed with the Chiefs practice squad in August after being cut by the New Orleans Saints. He was the lead back for the Chiefs in his rookie season in 2020, though his production declined in the following three seasons with Kansas City.
Don’t expect much from Edwards-Helaire, but he is active and could see some snaps if Hunt or Smith struggle or get hurt.
Kansas City Hushing Doubters After Slow Start
The Chiefs looked uncharacteristically stagnant in the first three weeks of the season with losses to the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles, before picking up their first win against the Giants in a game that was closer than it should’ve been.
Since that 1-2 start however, Kansas City has quieted the haters with marquee wins over the Ravens, Lions, and Commanders.
Patrick Mahomes seems to be back in vintage form with nine touchdown passes in his last three games, while targeting Travis Kelce much more often.
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