On a Mission: Why Pacheco Made This Commitment Before Return

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – It was the last day of April three years ago. Finally, Isiah Pacheco knew he could keep the promise he made – to himself.

When Brett Veach called to tell him the Kansas City Chiefs had just drafted him with the 251st overall choice, the young running back knew he could make plans to finally attend his first NFL game.

“No, I never went to any NFL games as a kid,” said Pacheco, who grew up just over two hours down the Garden State Parkway from MetLife Stadium. “I said, ‘Once I was playing, once I started, one day, I'll be in NFL.’ That'd be my first game.”

Sep 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (10) looks on prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The first NFL game he attended

That moment was Aug. 13, 2022, far from his home in Vineland, N.J. The Chiefs opened their preseason that year at Soldier Field in Chicago. Three years later, all Pacheco has known is Super Bowls. His 2022 draft class, including Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis and Bryan Cook, can be the first group in 32 years to reach the Super Bowl in each of their first four seasons.

But only two weeks into the season, they know this year’s road will be unfamiliar and different. Kansas City is 0-2 for the first time in 11 years, and the Chiefs need Pacheco, Kareem Hunt and the offensive line to stop the slide.

That opportunity

They’ll get that opportunity when they visit the Giants on Sunday Night Football (7:20 p.m. CT, NBC/KSHB-TV, Channel 41, 96.5 The Fan). Everyone in Kansas City knows the Chiefs can’t with Patrick Mahomes leading all NFL quarterbacks in rushing yards, and leading all teammates in the same category.

To pull out of that funk, they’ll tap into some of the same patience that got Pacheco to his first NFL game three years ago.

“Going back in the film, watching and just detailing the work,” Pacheco said Friday, explaining how he’s committed to improving. “And evaluating myself, looking in the mirror.”

The emotional leader of the Chiefs’ offense, Pacheco isn’t planning on feeling any sentimental moments, returning to his home state. In 2023, he already returned to MetLife Stadium and helped the Chiefs beat the Jets, 23-20, with 115 rushing yards.

Plus, he delegated ticket-collecting responsibility – he expects 50 family and friends at Sunday’s game – to his parents so he could simply focus on the Giants.

But if Pacheco can reach 100 yards on the ground just as he did that day against the Jets, there’ll be plenty of emotion on the Chiefs’ sideline. First, his teammates know how hard he’s worked through injuries over the last 12 months to get to Sunday. And, they know how much a productive run game can boost the entire offense.

“This is his home,” head coach Andy Reid said Friday, “so it would be great for the team and great for him.”

A native of Vineland, N.J., who played quarterback at the local high school before starring at Rutgers, Pacheco has been all business in Kansas City preparing for a critical game. For an 0-2 team that views nothing short of a Super Bowl victory as a failure, this week is as close to must-win as any. But going home still matters.

“I mean, going back home is always exciting,” he added Friday. “Being that close, not too far, being able to see people in the stands that not having seen in months, is always exciting for me. Knowing that I got fam there, but most importantly, I'm just going there on a mission.”

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