The Kansas City Chiefs bounced back from a 2-game losing streak when they defeated the New England Patriots in Week 15, and they hope to make it 2 wins in a row when they host their archrival Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day. The Kansas City offense could get a boost as running back Isiah Pacheco and wideout Mecole Hardman were participants in Thursday's practice session.

Pacheco has been battling shoulder issues, but he apparently took a positive turn as he was a full participant in the practice. Hardman has a thumb injury, and he was a limited participant.

The Chiefs are in first place in the AFC West, and they have a 2-game lead over the second-place Denver Broncos. However, head coach Andy Reid never expected the defending Super Bowl champions to have a 9-5 record at this point in the season.

One of the primary problems for the team has been inconsistent offensive production. Normally, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the offense are the driving factors for Kansas City's success, but that unit has struggled at multiple points this season. The Chiefs rank 7th in yards per game and 10th in scoring, and those are areas that head coach Andy Reid would like to see improve before the start of the playoffs.

Pacheco is a solid back who is not going to let himself get tackled after the first hit. He leads the team with 779 rushing yards, a 4.43 yards per carry average and 6 touchdowns. Hardman has been limited this season and he has just 8 catches for 41 yards.

The Chiefs scored a 31-17 victory over the Raiders when the two teams met in Las Vegas in Week 12. Pacheco had 2 rushing touchdowns in that game.