The Chiefs skirted by with a win by the slimmest of margins against the Denver Broncos, but their frustrations on offense were laid bare. Most notably, the downgrade from Isiah Pacheco, who has missed the last few games with a leg injury, to Kareem Hunt has taken some of the sting out of this team’s attack.
Luckily for Patrick Mahomes, it seems that they managed to survive without Pacheco just long enough to stay at the top of the AFC. With a matchup against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills coming down the road, the Chiefs have some cavalry coming at a very opportune time.
Pacheco has been taken off injured reserve, which should put him in line to reclaim his starting job away from Hunt. The last thing the rest of the league needed to see was a 9-0 team somehow getting even stronger with their top running back coming back into the fold.
Kansas City Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco activated from IR
While Hunt has done a fairly average job replacing Pacheco in the starting lineup, it’s not unreasonable for the Chiefs to send him to the bench after the aging running back averaged just 3.6 yards per carry in six games. Hunt looked much slower and stiffer than he did during his first stint with the team.
Pacheco, who tallied over 2,100 yards from scrimmage to go along with 14 touchdowns during his first two seasons, looked productive during the first two games of the 2024 campaign before injuring his fibula in a win against the Cincinnati Bengals. His hard-charging style was sorely missed by this Kansas City offense.
While Pacheco might not be what takes the passing game from good to great this year, the combination of his return and the integration of DeAndre Hopkins into the offense might give this unit the electricity it lacked in the first half of the season.
Pacheco is not going to turn into Walter Payton, but he is a rock-solid back who runs hard an grinds out the tough yards against quality opponents. As the rest of the league should know at this point, anything good for Patrick Mahomes is bad for opposing defenses.
Patrick Mahomes has acknowledged his mistakes following the Kansas City Chiefs‘ narrow win over the Denver Broncos, where he missed two potential touchdown throws with wayward passes to wide receiver Xavier Worthy and tight end Travis Kelce.
Mahomes, renowned as the best quarterback in the NFL for his precision and playmaking skills, faced some criticism after these miscues in Week 10, despite the Chiefs‘ slim victory. In his post-game remarks, Mahomes addressed the flawed passes, admitting that both plays could have significantly impacted the game had he executed them properly.
In one instance, Mahomes overthrew his pass for Worthy, who was well-positioned for a possible long-range touchdown. The throw would have been a highlight-reel moment, capitalizing on Worthy’s speed and open field advantage, but Mahomes just missed the mark, a rare error for the two-time MVP quarterback
Similarly, Mahomes expressed regret over a poor pass to Kelce, another of his trusted allies, noting that better timing and precision could have secured a decisive score in a tightly contested matchup.
Mahomes’ openness in addressing these mistakes reflects his commitment to improvement and accountability, a key trait that has defined his career and endeared him to Chiefs fans. By recognizing these errors and taking responsibility, Mahomes has reinforced his focus on refining the Chiefs‘ offensive execution. Going forward, Mahomes will be aiming to strengthen his connection with emerging talents like Worthy while maintaining his legendary chemistry with Kelce with the playoffs coming soon.
Praise for Bo Nix
While Mahomes may not have had his best game for his standards, he was full of praise for his counterpart on Sunday, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix.
Mahomes offered words of praise for Nix, acknowledging the rookie’s impressive performance.
“Way to play your a** off,” Mahomes said. “Keep leading those dudes. It’s just the first one, we got a lot of these things.”
Nix finished with a solid stat line, completing 22 of 30 passes for 220 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions, achieving a 115.3 passer rating.
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