'I’m a Dog’: Isiah Pacheco's return caps emotional journey back for Chiefs running back

After a nine-game absence, Isiah Pacheco finally returned to the field on Friday. Symbolically, the weekend was an apt one, being Thanksgiving and all. For both the player and his team, the Kansas City Chiefs, everyone involved felt grateful for the moment.

It's not that the Chiefs haven't fared well in Pacheco's absence. Even with the loss of Clyde Edwards-Helaire in combination with Pacheco, the Chiefs found that a reunion with former third-round pick Kareem Hunt after five seasons away helped ease the burden. Together with Samaje Perine and Carson Steele, the Chiefs piled up win after win despite losing Pacheco and others early in the season.

That said, the Chiefs were absolutely ready to welcome back Pacheco's unique skill set and rushing style into the mix at running back. And when asked, Pacheco was more than ready to return after being forced to miss several games for the first time in his short NFL career.

"It felt awesome, just having that moment to get that contact again. I've been missing it," Pacheco told reporters after the game. "I've been backed up on anger. So being able to let that anger out on the field, it was a blessing.

"Yes, what was going through my mind was, I don't know what I'm going to do when I get out of this tunnel. I haven't done it in a while. I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm a dog. Let me see. Let me get down on all fours. Let me crawl. So that was going through my mind during the moment."

Pacheco has been the Chiefs' leading rusher in each of the last two seasons since the team drafted him as a seventh-round surprise in the 2022 NFL Draft out of Rutgers. This year, he was serving as the lead back once again when he suffered a tragic injury against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 in the form of a fractured fibula.

One aspect of the ground game that's been missing since Pacheco was on the mend has been home-run plys out of the backfield. On Friday, it was no surprise, then, to see Pacheco put up the single biggest gain on the ground on the season with a 34-yard burst against the Raiders.

"Yes, it kind of reminded me of a run I did out there before. So just having that mindset of being patient—"slow to, fast through"—will allow me to open up the game more," said Pacheco about his big run. "I wasn't trying to get a home run or a touchdown. I just wanted to get a first down and keep the yards moving. Absolutely, I felt it. When I got back to the huddle, the boys hit me in my head, smacked me, like, 'Let's go!' I'm like, 'Damn, I'm just getting warmed up.'"

Through three games this season, Pacheco has 41 carries for 179 yards and 1 touchdown.