Second-year running back gives cause for optimism amid Chiefs’ offensive struggles

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Second-year running back Isiah Pacheco has been the one bright light for Andy Reid amid the Chiefs’ ongoing offensive struggles.

The Chiefs’ offensive struggles once again reared their head during the Week 4 clash against the Jets. The Chiefs’ offensive has been out of sync and out of rhythm for much of the season so far, with serious alarm bells starting to ring about the wide receiver group as a whole.

Mahomes’ relationship with his receivers is looking fraught at best. The lack of production from the likes of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney and Rashee Rice is a genuine cause for concern. However, second-year running back Isiah Pacheco has been the one bright spark in an otherwise underwhelming offensive unit.

• TRENDING: Andy Reid praises Chiefs for ‘gutting it out’ in narrow win over Jets

Pacheco shines in return to home state

Isiah Pacheco had a career game against the Jets on his return to his home state of New Jersey. He finished with 158 all-purpose yards -115 of them coming on the ground – on 23 touches.

With 8:29 left in the first quarter against the Jets, Pacheco took a handoff to the left on third-and-1 and burst through for a 48-yard touchdown to give the Chiefs a 10-0 lead. It was the longest touchdown run of his career.

He also finished the game with 43 receiving yards, second among all pass-catchers.

His career performance comes after several weeks of impressing upon Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. In Week 2 against the Jaguars, Pacheco had 70 rushing yards on 12 carries. In the Week 3 blowout of the Bears, he had 78 all-purpose yards on 17 touches, including a 1-yard touchdown.

In an offensive unit where inconsistency has reigned supreme, Pacheco has proved himself to be one of the most reliable and consistent weapons available to Reid right now.

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Reid singles Pacheco out for his performance against the Jets

The Chiefs’ win against the Jets was a gritty one to say the least, and one that nearly blew up in their faces after almost squandering a 17-point lead.

After the game, Andy Reid singled Pacheco’s performance out as particularly impressive.

“If I had to pick somebody out there, I’d pick Pacheco for the nice job that he had, how hard he ran,” he said. “He was very excited to come back. He had quite a night.”

Mahomes agreed too. “I could see it from the first snap,” the Chiefs QB said. “You could see it in his eyes. He did a great job. He made some big runs when we really needed them.”

You can say that again.