KC Chiefs’ Andy Reid Addresses Potential Week 16 Return for RB Isiah Pacheco

The Kansas City Chiefs are seven days away from their Week 16 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, and they're hoping their Christmas present is a win. Not only would that help them in their quest to lock up the AFC West for another year, but it would also preserve their hopes of coming back and securing the conference's top seed. They'll need all hands on deck to take down a club that just scored 63 points; the week is off to a good start on that front.

Speaking to the media on Monday afternoon, head coach Andy Reid had good news to share. He believes second-year running back Isiah Pacheco will make his return to practice ahead of next Monday's outing.

"He'll be back this week," Reid said. "He'll be good to go this week unless there's a further setback but right now, everything's positive for him to go. He really had clearance last week from the fella that did the surgery to go. It was just a matter of being precautious on it."

Pacheco, Kansas City's leading rusher, has missed two games in a row due to a shoulder injury. The 2022 seventh-round pick had a minor cleanup procedure done but with his long-term health being more of a priority, the Chiefs held him out of Sunday's win over the New England Patriots. When asked to clarify whether his return would be for practice or game purposes, Reid confirmed that Pacheco is tracking to be available to play in Week 16.

"Yeah, no, I think he'll play this week Matt (Derrick)," Reid said. "I think he'll be ready to go, and that was the clearance that he had to be able to do that."

This is a very positive development for the Chiefs, as not much was revealed about Pacheco's injury initially. The former Rutgers standout had a procedure done on the same shoulder earlier this calendar year then seemed to get banged up in a Week 13 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He subsequently missed six practices and two games in a row as a result. In relief of him, the duo of Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon has done an admirable job.

In 12 games this season, Pacheco has toted the ball 176 times for 779 yards and six touchdowns. He's improved in multiple aspects of his game, namely pass protection and receiving out of the backfield. Pacheco's 33 receptions rank third on the team coming out of Week 15. If he's indeed back in the fold on Christmas, it would serve as a nice boost for a Chiefs offense that needs it down the stretch.

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