The Kansas City Chiefs could be getting a key reinforcement back in Week 13, ahead of the Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
“Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco is targeting a return to the lineup Thursday vs [the] Cowboys, per source,” ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported on November 24. Adding: “He’s been out since Week 8 with a knee injury. Will be up to [the] team, but he’s trending positively.”
Veteran Kareem Hunt has done fairly well spelling Pacheco, but the RB depth has been scarce behind him and rookie pass-catching back Brashard Smith.
The Chiefs just added another ball carrier to the ranks, signing former Houston Texans running back Dameon Pierce, but it’ll likely take him some time to learn the KC playbook and system before head coach Andy Reid trusts him in a game.
Needless to say, getting Pacheco back should be huge for this Chiefs offense against the Cowboys in Week 13. The former seventh-round pick turned RB1 is averaging 4.2 yards per carry in 2025.
Chiefs Listed Isiah Pacheco as a ‘Full Participant’ on Initial Week 13 Injury Report vs. Cowboys
GettyKansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco.
The Chiefs released an estimated injury report on November 24, and Pacheco (knee) was listed as a “full participant” if KC had practiced on their scheduled day off.
Several other players were either classified as “DNPs” (did not participate) or “LPs” (limited participants), but Pacheco was among those deemed healthy and able. Although he was still on the injury report, so he’s not totally out of the woods yet.
Still, this is obviously a very good sign for Pacheco and lines up with Fowler’s reporting.
The starting running back’s injury was initially expected to be minor, and most insiders were reporting a one-week absence in Week 9, with the bye week following in Week 10.
Unfortunately, those reports did not end up being accurate, as Pacheco has now missed three games and a total of four NFL weeks. The Chiefs have gone 1-2 without Pacheco in the lineup.
Kareem Hunt & Isiah Pacheco Could Split the Starter Reps Down the Stretch
The 2025 campaign has been eerily similar to 2024 at the running back position. The Chiefs began the year with Pacheco as the starter and Hunt as the backup (except he was a midseason pickup in 2024) before an injury derailed the former’s season.
Hunt then took over as the Chiefs’ RB1 in Pacheco’s absence, performing well enough. And once Pacheco finally returned, the pair of veterans split the workload down the stretch.
We might see the same thing occur in 2025, as Hunt has raised his yards per carry average to 3.9 YPC in recent weeks.
To be clear, neither Pacheco nor Hunt has been particularly impressive this year, as Kansas City’s “explosive rush rate” has been historically poor, but they are the best options that KC has for now. Smith isn’t an every-down runner, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Elijah Mitchell have shown even less pop than the starters.
Then there’s Pierce, who only just signed with the organization this week.
For now, it’ll likely be Pacheco and Hunt trading possessions and carries down the stretch, with Smith mixing in on specific plays. Or, in other words, an extremely similar RB plan to what Kansas City rolled with this time last year.
Injured Chiefs Starter ‘Targeting a Return’ vs. Cowboys in Week 13