The Kansas City Chiefs may have dropped their Week 5 game to the Jacksonville Jaguars, but it wasn’t for an inability to move the football. The visitors scored 28 points on Monday Night Football and amassed 476 net yards, their highest output of the year.
Part of that improvement stemmed from a rushing attack that looked formidable for perhaps the first time all season. Starter Isiah Pacheco certainly played a role in those efforts.
Could it be a sign of things to come?
Isiah Pacheco Back to ‘Having Fun’ Amid In-Season Improvement
Pacheco seems to hope so. The 2022 seventh-round pick delivered 7 carries for 36 yards on Monday, averaging 5.1 yards per tote. That included tries of 11 and 16 yards.
He also hauled in a trio of passes for 20 yards. Head coach Andy Reid tipped his cap to that — more on it later — and Pacheco thinks being multifaceted stems from simply cutting loose and enjoying the game more.
“Having fun out there,” Pacheco said. “Being able to catch the ball is a part of the game. When we’re out there at practice being the last line of defense, pass pro is is first, and then you’ve got to get out there and get into the route. You’ve got a lot of things flying at you but when you’ve got the trust with the quarterback and you’re the last line of defense, just be ready [with] eyes open.”
Week 2 was undoubtedly Pacheco’s lowest point, statistically. Against a feisty Philadelphia Eagles defense, he mustered just 22 yards on 10 carries. Since then, though, he’s amassed 116 yards on 24 attempts. A 4.8 yard-per-carry average, paired with an 86% catch rate, is absolutely something the Chiefs can live with.
Pacheco is rising to the weekly challenge now.
“Just detailing my work throughout the weeks here,” Pacheco said. “Every week, it’s getting faster and faster. You’ve got guys coming out more hyper to play us. You’re getting their best. It’s a championship team here we’re playing every week, so you’ve got to come out there rolling. It starts at practice.”
Chiefs Confident in Direction of RB Room as Season Continues
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Reid applauded Pacheco for making the most of his opportunities.
“I thought he did a good job not only running, but catching the ball, blocking and doing what he was asked to,” Reid said. “He got a little bit more playing time, which I think is good. Kind of get him into the swing of things, that helps. At the same time, Kareem had a good day.”
The fourth-year man indeed did log more snaps in Week 5. He led the running back room with 40 (62% of those available) and was followed by veteran Kareem Hunt (21, 33%) and rookie Brashard Smith (6, 9%). Pacheco’s 40 snaps tied his highest mark of the season, with Hunt also delivering a season-long 33-yard run and Smith factoring in on a few downs.
Despite ranking first in rush EPA/play, per SumerSports, Kansas City’s run game needs more work. Pacheco and Hunt seemingly are what they are, and Smith isn’t flashing true halfback chops. The 0.14 EPA/play mark is heavily influenced by quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ scrambles. After some quiet games in that regard, he had 6 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown on Monday.
Mahomes, the team’s leading rusher entering Week 6, is fine with whatever production leads to more wins.
“However we win football games,” Mahomes said. “I don’t care how that looks, but it doesn’t look like that’s helping us right now. If the other guys get running and we start winning football games, I’ll take that.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Polarizing Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco Addresses Play to Start Season appeared first on Heavy Sports.