The Kansas City Chiefs took a tough loss in Week 13, and it looks like the team will be feeling the effects as they prepare for their Week 14 showdown with the Buffalo Bills. Namely, the status of running back Isiah Pacheco is one to monitor.
On Wednesday, Pacheco was held out of practice due to a shoulder contusion, per ESPN's Adam Teicher.
Pacheco put in a bruising performance on Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers in a 27-19 defeat. He carried the ball 18 times for 110 yards and also caught three passes. His night ended early, however, as he was ejected with under a minute to play after throwing a punch at a Packers player.
His big night on the ground vaulted him into fifth in the NFL in rushing yards. But his often violent running style took its toll, raising some question about whether or not Pacheco will be able to suit up on Sunday.
KC's offense hits rough patch
With Patrick Mahomes in a bit of a dry spell and a receiving corps struggling to make plays, Andy Reid and the Chiefs have leaned more heavily on Pacheco in recent weeks to juice the offense. It's now been five straight games without hitting the 300-yard passing mark for Mahomes.
Meanwhile, Pacheco has produced 15+ carries in each of his last four games, after an eight-carry day against the Denver Broncos in Week 8. He has even stepped up as a target out of the backfield in the absence of receiving back Jerick McKinnon, who has missed Kansas City's last two games due to a groin injury.
The good news for Reid is that McKinnon did practice on Wednesday and appears on track to return to the lineup on Sunday. Ideally for the Chiefs, he'll do so as a complement to Pacheco, and not as a like-for-like replacement on the gameday roster.
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