Overlooked takeaways from the Chiefs win over Jaguars

Nov 13, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) celebrates with wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (11) and running back Isiah Pacheco (10) after a score against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) celebrates with wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (11) and running back Isiah Pacheco (10) after a score against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /
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Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (25)  Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire (25)  Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

Where’s Glyde?

We hate to be the ones to bring up the whole first-round pick thing time and again since that whole subject is a sunk cost and there’s nothing that Clyde Edwards-Helaire can do about it. That said, since we’re already in the backfield for the Chiefs, we might as well bring up a major question we have from Sunday’s action: where was Clyde?

In the first quarter, it was clear the Chiefs wanted to go with Pacheco and help him overcome that early mistake (as we just mentioned). From there, Edwards-Helaire came out in the second quarter and it looked like it was his time up in the rotation as the Chiefs kept things fresh out of the backfield. Two failed passing targets later, Edwards-Helaire was nowhere to be found.

The Chiefs ended up relying on McKinnon for long stretches in the third quarter and then back to Pacheco once again in the fourth. Meanwhile, Edwards-Helaire didn’t register a single carry at all and his only opportunities came on back-to-back misses to open the second.

The Chiefs have a lot of mouths to feed, to be clear, but for a team that made a rare (at the time) first-round investment in a running back—a luxury pick—it’s shocking that they’re not utilizing him in any way if he’s healthy.