‘Growing right before our eyes’: How one KC Chiefs RB — literally — is finding his path
Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. made the critical block — and a few weeks ago it might not have mattered.
This was midway through the first quarter against Tampa Bay when Brown expertly executed a “reach” block, sprinting to his left to seal Tampa Bay defensive lineman William Gholston to the inside.
It created an opening ... but one near the sideline, a crease only good if the running back made it out there.
Isiah Pacheco did. On his first carry of the game, the rookie remained patient on this outside zone run, continuing to press the line of scrimmage while not committing himself before turning upfield late behind Brown’s barricade.
Gholston had no chance. Pacheco ran through an arm tackle then was later hit by a backside linebacker, falling forward for a gain of eight.
It was just the beginning of an impressive performance for Pacheco, as he posted 11 carries for 63 yards in the Chiefs’ win.
Most notably, though, he showed personal growth from previous games.
“Every week, he’s gotten a little bit better at understanding the play, and then running hard,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Setting up, then running hard and finishing it.”
The Chiefs’ seventh-round pick Pacheco has always possessed size and speed; his 40-yard dash time, for instance, tied for the fastest by a running back at the 2022 NFL Combine, and that was sprinting at 216 pounds.
Most questions about him have centered around his vision and instincts. Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has talked frequently in previous weeks about wanting Pacheco to be more patient with his runs. Pacheco’s NFL.com draft profile, meanwhile, cited weaknesses like “hurried nature creates impatience in allowing for block development,” “struggles to hit points of entry with proper timing” and “too quick to bounce a run wide in early stages.”
The truth from all that: Pacheco’s ceiling was likely to be capped until he figured out a way to break old habits.
And correcting those faults likely seemed daunting for Chiefs coaches as recently as a couple weeks ago.
Take a third-and-1 run against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2. Pacheco was stopped short after committing himself too early, and while the play wasn’t blocked perfectly, it also likely said something that Pacheco didn’t get another carry after that.
What happened in the weeks since has been encouraging to both Reid and Bieniemy. As Reid puts it, Pacheco is “growing right before our eyes.”
Bieniemy believes that’s mostly the result of Pacheco’s work away from the field.
“The thing that I love about him is that he listens in meetings,” Bieniemy said. “He observes when he makes a mistake. He’s very observant. He studies his mistakes, and very seldom does he ever repeat a mistake.”
The refinement was especially evident against Tampa Bay.
There was an inside-zone play similar to the Chargers run, where Pacheco got into the line of scrimmage before making his eventual cut on an eight-yard gain.
On another carry, Pacheco took his time and trusted his blockers while hitting the correct aiming point ahead, eventually using a jump-cut to shift outside pulling guard Joe Thuney for another nine yards.
Pacheco says there are many ways he’s focused on improvement. For example, he comes in early to study plays and also takes notes, often seeking advice from older guys in the running back room.
“For me, understanding it a little bit better helps me play faster,” Pacheco said. “So if I’m out there, I’m kind of confused. I don’t really know the play, I’m not going to be able to play as fast as I can.”
The comprehension that’s come lately has allowed him to show his natural talent.
And for a week against the Buccaneers, that resulted in him posting team-bests in yards after contact per attempt (3.91) and missed tackles forced (three), according to the data at Pro Football Focus.
“He got a different type of juice to him,” Bieniemy said. “And so I think he just gives us something a little different from the other guys.”
