Sharing the wealth can have far-reaching benefits. Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco has seen this firsthand.
Last week against the Bears, all three Chiefs running backs found the end zone and all three contributed to a ground game that had gone dormant the first two weeks of the season. Pacheco rushed for 62 yards on 15 carries as the Chiefs rushed for 153 yards in their 41-10 win against the Bears. They’ll hope for a similar effort when they play the New York Jets at 7:20 p.m. Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Pacheco, who grew up in Vineland and played collegiately at nearby Rutgers, is excited to play close to home again.
“It’s going to be fun,” Pacheco said. “A lot of people coming from back home. But for me just eliminating distractions and focus on the task and get the job done.”
Pacheco, in his second season in the NFL, has been off and running since he became the Chiefs’ starter last season. With a full year’s experience, Pacheco is more comfortable than he was at this time as a rookie, and he’s set new goals as well.
“(To show) that I’m an all-around player and a team player,” Pacheco said. “And whatever coach has for me to do, I’m going to be that guy to help the team in whatever aspect it is. And like I said, I’m leading and I’m going to keep leading. That’s the difference.”
Last week against the Bears, the Chiefs opened the second half with a running play, and Pacheco gained 31 yards. The Chiefs (2-1) also showed they could play power football against the Bears as they converted on several short-yardage situations.
“We knew we needed to get the run game going,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “Everybody talks about the offense and how much we’ve thrown over the past, but you always see we’re at our best when we’re running the football, and so we’re going to try to continue to do that.
“Once you establish the run it opens up everything. And we’ve got a good running back room and a good offensive line. So we want to make sure that we keep that progressing in the right direction.”
While the Chiefs had some struggles on offense the first couple of weeks, the Jets (1-2) have struggled mightily on offense as Aaron Rodgers went down with an Achilles injury on the first drive of the season. And while Zach Wilson has been unable to get the offense moving, the Jets defense, however, has only given up four touchdowns this year. And Pacheco and the Chiefs have taken notice.
“Upfront defensively, I see a lot of hardworking guys, and they’re determined,” Pacheco said of the Jets. “And for us, we need to go out there and follow what coaches have planned for us and execute.”
BOLTON, WATSON OUT
Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton (sprained ankle) and defensive back Jaylen Watson (shoulder strain) will miss Sunday’s game, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Friday. Bolton also missed last week’s game against the Bears.
