The Kansas City Chiefs got almost everything they wanted in their Week 17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day.
They clinched the AFC’s No. 1 seed and secured a first-round playoff bye week. Veteran TE Travis Kelce scored his record-setting touchdown, surpassing the legendary Tony Gonzalez for the most in franchise history.
Unfortunately, the team was unable to escape the 29-10 win without suffering a concerning injury. DT Mike Pennel and S Justin Reid briefly left the game with injuries, but were both able to return. The same couldn’t be said for RB Isiah Pacheco, who left the game in the fourth quarter after taking a shot on a two-yard run. Netflix sideline reporter Stacey Dales reported that he was seen in quite a lot of pain on the sidelines as he got checked out for a rib injury.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid’s update to reporters after the game was slightly concerning.
“As far as the injuries go, (Isiah) Pacheco would be the only one,” Reid said. “He got dinged his ribs there. So we’ll see how bad they are. On the positive side of that, he played good football, along with Kareem (Hunt), and (Samaje) Perine just keeps making plays for us.”
Pacheco left the locker room early after the game, likely to get imaging done on his ribs. The injury is particularly concerning because of his running style. He’s not one to shy away from contact, and rib injuries can have a lingering effect, no matter the severity. We’ll see how things turn out for Pacheco, especially with over 20 days off until the team’s next meaningful game in the divisional round of the playoffs. That’s a big saving grace for Kansas City. It’s worth noting that Pacheco has already dealt with injury this season, spending time on IR with a lower-body injury. He’s an energy giver, but it’s hard to be that type of player when you’re not 100%.
The team is quite deep at the running back position, as evidenced by the results in Week 17. Kareem Hunt finished the day with nine attempts for 20 yards and a rushing touchdown. Samaje Perine had two carries for nine yards and caught two passes on two targets for 20 yards. If Pacheco’s injury turns out to be significant, they’ll just have to lean on their depth at running back with an eye toward the playoffs.
