⚡ FLASH NEWS: Chiefs’ Isiah Pacheco injury report just dropped, and it could completely change their Thanksgiving game plan.QQ
Kansas City Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco is targeting a return to the field for Week 13 vs. the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
Kansas City
The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t had much good injury news lately, but they’re now expected to get one key piece back in the lineup for their Week 13 Thanksgiving game against the Dallas Cowboys.
As first reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco is expected to make his return to the lineup after suffering an MCL sprain in Week 8 against the Washington Commanders. The knee injury kept Pacheco out of action for three games and four weeks total. He missed the Week 9 matchup against the Buffalo Bills, the Week 11 matchup against the Denver Broncos, and last week’s game against the Indianapolis Colts.
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Pacheco participated in practice in both a full and limited capacity last week, wearing a heavy brace on his injured knee. He was also listed as a full participant on the team’s estimated injury report on Monday, suggesting he would’ve been a full participant had the team actually practiced. The writing was already on the wall that Pacheco was going to try to play against the Cowboys in Week 13, but this report indeed confirms it.
Isiah Pacheco is expected to return to the lineup when the Chiefs need him most
While the Chiefs don’t have any other running back injuries to speak of, Kareem Hunt is coming off a game where he played a career-high 68 offensive snaps. At 30 years old and on a short week, he’s going to need all the help he can get heading into this Week 13 game against the Cowboys. I joked after the Week 12 game against the Colts that he’d spend the entire week in the cold tub.
Pacheco’s return also comes at a time when the Chiefs are leaning a bit more toward a run-pass balance on offense. The 36 runs for running backs against Indy were the most in a single game this season for Kansas City.
Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco 2025 NFL season stats
- Carries: 78
- Rushing yards: 329
- Yards per carry: 4.2
- Touchdowns: 1
Pacheco is known for being an energy-giver on the field. He runs with a sense of purpose that energizes his teammates when he’s successful, and it can be fed off of, especially on a short week with a bunch of different guys banged up heading into the matchup against Dallas.
It remains to be seen how Pacheco will look coming off the knee injury. He was starting to look like himself again after his 2024 leg injury before he suffered the MCL sprain, so there’s at least some hope that he can get back to that level rather quickly.
