The Chiefs got a big contribution from this rookie in Sunday night’s win over Chargers
Wide receiver Skyy Moore had a feeling that his hotel roommate, fellow Chiefs rookie Isiah Pacheco, was in for a big game on Sunday Night Football.
Pacheco, the running back selected by the Chiefs in the seventh round of this year’s NFL Draft, didn’t disappoint, rushing for a career-high 107 yards on 15 carries for a very healthy 7.1 yards per carry.
“I had no doubt he was going to come out and play like that,” Moore said. “That’s my roommate in the hotel, so we talk about stuff like this all the time — when we get the opportunity, what are we going to do with it?”
Pacheco’s effort helped the Chiefs secure a 30-27 win over the Los Angles Chargers at SoFi Stadium and sweep the annual two-game series against a divisional rival.
“It was good to get Pacheco 100 yards,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We needed that today, every yard of it.”
The Chargers entered Week 11 ranked a woeful 30th in the league against the run, allowing 146.8 yards per game. It was an exploitable matchup, for sure, and Pacheco rose to the occasion.
The former Rutgers star announced his presence on the Chiefs’ opening series. He gashed the Chargers’ defense for a 28-yard gain on his second carry and finished the first half with 46 yards on five carries.
The Chiefs got away from the running game shortly before halftime, but they made sure to establish Pacheco on the first possession of the third quarter. He ripped off an 18-yard run, then went for 9. The Chiefs stuck with Pacheco on the next two plays, and he responded with runs of 8 yards and 4 yards, respectively.
On that nine-play, 56-yard drive, which resulted in Harrison Butker’s 30-yard field goal, Pacheco touched the ball five times, totaling 38 yards. While his last carry of the possession resulted in a 1-yard loss, he amassed 87 yards on 11 carries through three quarters en route to his first career 100-yard effort.
But for all his hard work, Pacheco deflected credit for his accomplishments.
“I’m just mindful that I’m not satisfied with the game,” he said. “There’s more work to be done, there’s more plays to be made.”
While that’s true, there’s something to be said for the Chiefs’ first single-game 100-yard rushing effort of the season. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who left Sunday night’s game with an ankle injury, had come the closest with a 92-yard effort in Week 4. Pacheco’s previous best game in 2022 was an 82-yard performance in Week 10.
But it was Pacheco’s physical style of running that helped win the day in L.A., and helped the Chiefs improve to 8-2 with a three-game lead in the AFC West.
As a team, the Chiefs racked up 163 yards rushing on 27 carries against the Chargers. The players who paved the way for those yards had praise for the man who led the attack.
“He can be something really special in this league,” Chiefs right tackle Andrew Wylie said. “Us five blocking up front and our whole O-line room, I mean, we truly believe that.
“We know that every time the gets the ball in his hands, he can take it to the house. We’re trying to do our best to get him his good looks, his open holes and he’ll eat up that grass and run downhill.”
Chiefs fullback Michael Burton agreed.
“As a unit, we love to see that,” Burton said. “He was really effective out there tonight, making guys miss.
“He runs hard, he runs violent, so to see that success and the hard work that he’s put into it come to fruition, it was really special tonight.”
This story was originally published November 21, 2022 at 1:38 AM.
