Chiefs rookie has extra motivation for playoffs: To get first career postseason win
Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco says he has extra reason to be excited for Saturday’s 3:30 p.m. home playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars: He hasn’t gotten to experience games like this often.
Pacheco, a seventh-round rookie out of Rutgers, has only played in two football postseason games. He participated in one as a junior in high school and then again as a senior, with his team losing both those contests.
“Being back at this type of level and atmosphere,” Pacheco said Wednesday, “is just gonna be truly a blessing.”
While playing quarterback as a junior at Vineland (New Jersey) High, Pacheco helped his team break a 13-year playoff drought in 2016, as Vineland fell 29-27 against Howell. The following year, Pacheco’s Vineland team lost 35-0 to top-seeded Lenape.
After switching to running back, Pacheco attended Rutgers for the next four years but never played in a postseason game. The Scarlet Knights, who were 5-7 during the regular season in 2021, became a last-minute fill-in for the Gator Bowl after Texas A&M bowed out because of COVID issues and injuries; Pacheco, however, opted out of that game while preparing for the NFL Draft.
“I didn’t get to play one (postseason game) in college, and now I’m at the highest level,” Pacheco said. “I’m just ready to execute and be myself.”
Pacheco’s previous game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 13 — a 27-17 Chiefs victory — was one of his most productive outings of the season following an early fumble. Chiefs coach Andy Reid went back to Pacheco after the first-quarter mistake, as the tailback finished with 16 carries for 82 yards.
When asked Wednesday if he’d dreamed about games like the upcoming one Saturday against Jacksonville, Pacheco responded, “My whole life.”
“I’ve always been wanting to play in a Super Bowl, always wanted to be in the NFL. It’s a dream come true,” Pacheco said. “And now, it’s what we do, day in and day out, from the moment on, from when we had the bye. Everything matters. Everything counts.
“So coming in with that mindset, being able to go day by day, is going to help us in the long run.”
This story was originally published January 19, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
