The New England Patriots could catch a huge break with the Kansas City Chiefs ruling out running back Isiah Pacheco for a second straight week.
Pacheco has emerged as one of the Chiefs’ top offensive playmakers, outside of tight end Travis Kelce. His absence was clearly felt in the team’s loss to the Buffalo Bills last week, and it could be a problem once again on Sunday against a Patriots defense that has overperformed this season.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick is notorious for taking away what a team does best, which means his game plan will likely be predicated around stopping Kelce. The clear objective is to force quarterback Patrick Mahomes to beat them with his diminished receiving corps.
Chiefs ruled out RB Isiah Pacheco for Sunday’s game at New England due to his shoulder injury.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 15, 2023
JuJu Smith-Schuster was the leading wide receiver for the Chiefs last season, and of course, he signed a three-year deal with the Patriots in free agency. The cupboard is bare in Kansas City, and without Pacheco, who is a threat as both a runner and receiver, things could get interesting in Foxborough.
Of course, that’s assuming the Patriots can continue to put up points on offense. If they aren’t able to execute like they did against the Pittsburgh Steelers for 48 minutes of football, another lopsided beating likely awaits the Patriots against what should be an angry Chiefs team.
