The Kansas City Chiefs only went to running back Isiah Pacheco 12 times in the running game in their Week 2 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, but those carries were effective.
Pacheco averaged 5.8 yards per carry on the day, totaling 70 yards on 12 carries. Those 70 yards included a 31-yard rush that helped set up a touchdown for the Chiefs.
Buy Chiefs TicketsAfter the game, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had high praise for the second-year running back.
“I think he ran the ball well today,” Mahomes said after the game. “Whenever I found him there, he punched it through there. He made a lot of big runs. There at the end, just tough yards. That’s stuff that you need in this offense. As we continue to develop as an offense we’ll continue to get the run game more and it will open up the rest of the offense.”
The Chiefs seemed to be easing Pacheco into the offense in Week 1 after he spent most of the offseason rehabbing a shoulder injury, only giving him eight carries in that game.
After upping his load in Week 2, it’s clear the team plans to lean on Pacheco more as the season progresses. It could be that a focus on the running game could be what the Chiefs need to beat the early-season struggles that the offense has faced.
