Chiefs stock watch: Isiah Pacheco continues to stay hot for Kansas City
By Ken Coltharp
Stock is Up: Isiah Pacheco
One offensive player who has his game figured out is running back Isiah Pacheco. There were concerns about how his preseason injury would affect his running style, but those concerns have been put to rest. If Pacheco does not perform the way he did on Sunday night, there is no way the Chiefs win that game.
Pacheco got off to a hot start, ripping off a 48-yard touchdown run after slipping a would-be tackle for loss and Trey Smith demolishing a man to spring him to the second level. Pacheco led the game in all-purpose yards in the non-quarterback division with 23 touches and 148 total yards and that touchdown in his home state of New Jersey.
The second-year man out of Rutgers has been the most consistent performer on the Chiefs' offense through the season's quarter-pole and has blossomed as a receiving threat out of the backfield to augment his all-around game. Pacheco already has ten receptions and 90 receiving yards through the first four games of 2023 after only catching 13 for 130 yards all of 2022.
The way Pacheco runs the ball is old-school. One cut and he will run through an opening whether a defender is there or not. Considering nearly every Chiefs offensive skill position player's struggles, Pacheco has been a beacon of consistency.