3 Super Bowl x-factors who have to step up for the Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs Super Bowl x-factors: 3. Isiah Pacheco

The Chiefs offense pretty quickly escaped the running game against the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s not a mystery as to why. The Chiefs finished the game with 20 rushing attempts for a measly 42 yards. That’s barely over two yards per carry. Jerrick McKinnon had one yard on four carries. Mahomes clearly wasn’t running well on the bad ankle.

Then there’s Isiah Pacheco. He’s the real x-factor in the Chiefs backfield. The running back did not have a good game on the ground against the Bengals. He had 10 carries for 26 yards. He did a majority of his damage through the air. Pacheco had five catches for 59 yards against the Bengals.

Against the Eagles, he’ll have to dictate on the ground a little more.  The Eagles allowed 4.6 yards per carry during the regular season, the ninth worst in the league. In the playoffs, it hasn’t been much better. Saquon Barkley had nine carries for 61 yards. If the Giants weren’t getting killed, he would have done more damage. Christian McCaffrey had 84 yards on 15 carries. The Eagles knew all the 49ers could do was run the ball, and CMC still had 5.6 yards per carry.

Pacheco has a chance to make an incredible opportunity to make an impact on the biggest stage possible. He could make himself a very rich man. The former Rutgers product is on the cusp of being the next huge piece in the Patrick Mahomes arsenal.