3 adjustments Chiefs must make without Patrick Mahomes at full strength
By Mark Powell
The Kansas City Chiefs need to make some serious adjustments if they are to survive an AFC Championship clash with the Bengals, especially if Patrick Mahomes isn’t full strength.
Patrick Mahomes has a high-ankle sprain, which means his movement in the pocket will be limited. For most players, that would be a concern, but for Mahomes it’s two-fold.
Mahomes’ creativity and magic when the play breaks down is what makes him the best quarterback in the league. Without that tool, Mahomes must stay within the confines of the play-call.
To be clear, he’s still capable, even without that ability. Mahomes at 75 percent is better than most NFL quarterbacks, but given Kansas City is matched up against Joe Burrow, they’ll have to make a few adjustments.
Chiefs must run Isiah Pacheco into the ground
When Isiah Pacheco has more than 10 carries, odds are it was a good game from the Chiefs point of view. Kansas City’s offensive play-calling can often appear stubborn, as even when the running game is working, they stick with Mahomes and a pass-heavy scheme. To be fair, if you had Patrick Mahomes at your disposal, odds are you wouldn’t run the ball much, either.
But Isiah Pacheco isn’t most running backs, either.
The running back out of Rutgers has proven a capable compliment to his quarterback counterpart, and when given the opportunity, has breakaway speed and excellent vision. Against the Jaguars on Saturday, Pacheco had 95 yards on 12 carries.
That’s the kind of game the Chiefs will need from Pacheco against Cincinnati if they are to have any chance against Burrow and the Bengals. On the one hand, they’ll keep an elite offense off the field, and it’ll take some pressure off of Mahomes.
In the previous two contests to end the regular season against the Raiders and Broncos, Pacheco failed to register 10 carries on the ground. A good barometer to measure Kansas City’s success offensively this weekend will be Pacheco’s final stat line.