The Inconvenient Truth: Isiah Pacheco’s One-Dimensional Power is Stifling the Chiefs’ Offense

October 2, 2025

Is ‘Pop’ the problem, not the solution?

Alright, let’s cut through the noise. Everyone in Chiefs Kingdom is flying high after that 37-20 smackdown of the Ravens. Patrick Mahomes is AFC Offensive Player of the Week, the offense finally looked alive, and you’re all refreshing your Twitter feeds waiting for Rashee Rice to come back and form some mythical three-headed monster with Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy.

WAKE UP. You’re looking at the shiny object, the decoy. You think the return of the wide receivers is the final Infinity Stone for this offense? That’s cute. It’s not. The real evolution, the key that unlocks another Super Bowl run, is happening in the shadows, and it involves benching your favorite running back.

That’s right, I said it. Isiah Pacheco, for all his glorious, violent, rage-filled runs that get the crowd roaring, is a one-dimensional player holding this offense hostage.

The Jerick McKinnon-Sized Hole in the Offense

Don’t get me wrong. I love Pacheco. You love Pacheco. He runs like he’s trying to settle a personal vendetta with the turf itself. He’s the team’s heartbeat, their enforcer. But what happens when that predictable heartbeat gets timed by a good defensive coordinator?

You get the first two weeks of the season, that’s what. A clunky, disjointed offense that lost to the Chargers and Eagles, starting the year 0-2. Go look at the box score. Who was the leading rusher in both of those losses? Your quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. That’s not “Mahomes Magic,” folks; that’s a bright, flashing red light that the designed offense is broken. It means the primary running back isn’t a viable enough threat, especially in the passing game, to keep defenses honest. The modern NFL increasingly demands versatile running backs who can impact the game as both runners and receivers, making one-dimensional backs a liability against prepared defenses.

This offense has been missing a critical piece since Jerick McKinnon left. It’s a “massive but quiet void,” as one astute fan pointed out on Reddit. That pass-catching running back, the guy who can split out wide, run a legitimate route, and turn a simple check-down into a 15-yard gain—that’s the pressure point Andy Reid and Mahomes have always used to torture defenses. Pacheco isn’t that guy. He’s a hammer. And when you only have a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail you just run straight into.

The Future is Now, and His Name is Brashard Smith

So, what’s the solution? While you were all watching the receivers, the coaches were quietly doubling the snap count for a rookie out of Miami. A guy by the name of Brashard Smith.

“That’s where Brashard Smith comes in, his snap count doubled to 20 this past game, eating into Pacheco’s. Smith has legitimate speed & route running to be a threat out of the back field taking short catches from screens, flat routes, drags, in or out breaking routes for big gains and be the new McKinnon…”
– /u/RipAccomplished783 on r/KansasCityChiefs

This is not a drill. This is the evolution. Smith is not just another body; he’s the chess piece this offense desperately needs. He’s the guy who forces a linebacker to cover him in space—a mismatch Mahomes will exploit 10 times out of 10. He’s the guy who can turn a screen pass into a house call. He’s the unpredictable chaos agent that Pacheco, for all his strengths, simply cannot be.

Pacheco got the glory, but it was rookie Xavier Worthy who was the leading rusher against Baltimore on a jet sweep. That tells you everything you need to know. Reid is desperately searching for ways to generate offense from the backfield that don’t involve simply plowing into the line of scrimmage.

It’s Not About Loyalty, It’s About Lombardi Trophies

This isn’t an indictment of Isiah Pacheco as a player. He’s a warrior. But this is the NFL. It’s about matchups and evolution. Having a backfield threat that can catch the ball is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity. The 49ers have it. The Eagles have it. The Bills have it. Elite offenses consistently utilize versatile running backs to create mismatches and open up their passing game.

The Chiefs are currently 2-2, looking up at undefeated teams. The margin for error is gone. Continuing to rely on a one-dimensional running game is offensive malpractice. It’s time to take the training wheels off. It’s time to phase Pacheco into a specialized role as a short-yardage battering ram and unleash Brashard Smith as the true key to this offense’s final form.

It might be an inconvenient truth for fans who love the “Pop,” but if you want to see another parade in Kansas City, you better get used to the idea. The future of the Chiefs’ backfield is about speed and space, not just anger and aggression.