(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Even at 8-4 and solidly in first place in the AFC West, the Chiefs haven’t looked nearly as good as they have in recent years.
Their offense ranks 11th in scoring, which would be the lowest in the Patrick Mahomes era and the lowest in the Andy Reid era since 2016.
And in Week 14, the Chiefs will be without one of their best players: running back Isiah Pacheco.
The second-year running back missed two consecutive practices with a shoulder contusion and was officially ruled out for this week’s match against the Buffalo Bills.
Chiefs ruled out RB Isiah Pacheco for Sunday’s game vs. the Bills due to a shoulder injury.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 8, 2023
This is a tremendous loss for a Chiefs team that hasn’t been able to score consistently this season.
Pacheco paced Kansas City’s ground attack with 779 yards and six rushing scores on 176 carries.
No other Chiefs running back attempted more than 40 rushes, and the team’s second-leading rusher is Mahomes with 57 rushes for 331 yards.
The next men up for Kansas City will be Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon.
The two veterans have played sparingly this season, but both have ample backfield experience.
Edwards-Helaire was the Chiefs’ first-round pick in 2020 and rushed for 803 yards in his rookie season.
His efficiency and production waned as his career progressed, though, and he quickly lost backfield touches to others before being usurped by Pacheco and McKinnon this past season.
McKinnon is in his eighth NFL season and has mainly been a pass-catching running back for the Chiefs.
He rushed 72 times for 291 yards and two scores in 2022 but caught 56 passes for 512 yards and nine receiving touchdowns.
McKinnon hasn’t done much this year, though, with just 32 touches for 185 yards and three touchdowns.
The post The Chiefs Have Ruled Out A Key RB For Sunday’s Game appeared first on The Cold Wire.