unday marks a potential instant classic for the Kansas City Chiefs, as they hit the road to take on the Buffalo Bills in a battle of AFC powerhouses. Unfortunately, neither side will be at 100% health for the Week 9 matchup.
Kansas City entered the week with some players’ statuses in question, and that’s only persisted with more practice time. Running back Isiah Pacheco, in particular, was a subject of the week.
Speaking to the media on Friday afternoon, head coach Andy Reid provided an update on his starting halfback.
Andy Reid Weighs in on Isiah Pacheco’s Week 9 Status With Knee Injury
Per Reid, Pacheco likely won’t play against the Bills.
“Yeah, there’s a good chance he’s listed as out,” Reid said. “Breaking news — you can get it first (laughs).”
Right guard Trey Smith, who’s been nursing a back ailment, is expected to play, per Reid.
This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. After all, Pacheco was a non-participant in every Chiefs practice of the week. Reid typically requires his players to advance to some form of work on Friday in order to be active on game day.
Pacheco, Kansas City’s leading rusher with 78 carries for 329 yards, logged 12 totes for 58 yards in Week 8’s 28-7 win over the Washington Commanders. In the fourth quarter, however, he suffered a knee injury that’s since been deemed an MCL sprain. Reported to be “week-to-week” on Monday, that set the scene for Pacheco being a potential Week 9 inactive.
On Wednesday, Reid confirmed that he didn’t believe Pacheco’s injury was of the long-term variety.
“I don’t think so,” Reid said. “We’ll just see how he is moving around. Tough kid, [and] there was a point there where he wanted to go back in and I wouldn’t let him. But that’s how he’s wired; you’d have to cut his leg off to stop him (chuckles).”
Kansas City Confident in Kareem Hunt & Company to Shoulder Load in Backfield
Fortunately for the reigning AFC champs, they might not miss Pacheco sorely.
Kareem Hunt is a solid complementary back, and he’s been excellent in short-yardage situations. He has 62 carries for 245 yards and 4 touchdowns overall, in addition to a receiving score. In Weeks 4-12 of last season while Pacheco was out due to a fractured fibula, Hunt had 712 scrimmage yards and 5 touchdowns.
Reid believes Hunt is better-suited for a lead role now compared to a year ago.
“Probably in better shape,” Reid said on Wednesday. “Just overall, better shape. Not that he was in terrible shape before, but he’s had a year to do it and kind of get back into the swing after having a little bit of a layoff there.”
It’s expected that some combination of Hunt and rookie Brashard Smith could fill some snaps in the backfield. Smith is an electric athlete and a converted wide receiver. He’s averaged 5.1 yards per touch thus far. Don’t count out veteran Elijah Mitchell, though, says Reid.
Despite Mitchell being a healthy scratch this season, Reid believes in his ability to help if called upon.
“First of all he had a severe injury at one point, and a lot of guys wouldn’t even come back from this thing, and he battled back,” Reid said. “You could see him just get better every week during camp and then progressing through to now. He takes a lot of reps with the scout team group. I would tell you that we all have confidence in his playability, for sure.”
