Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco makes history in ways no other player can
Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Isiah Pacheco shined under the bright lights of Super Bowl LVII on Sunday night. The former Rutgers Scarlett Knight reached a few unique milestones, making Super Bowl history in a way only he can. Pacheco, a seventh-round draft pick by Kansas City in the 2022 NFL Draft, became just […]
Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Isiah Pacheco shined under the bright lights of Super Bowl LVII on Sunday night. The former Rutgers Scarlett Knight reached a few unique milestones, making Super Bowl history in a way only he can.
Pacheco, a seventh-round draft pick by Kansas City in the 2022 NFL Draft, became just the 23rd rookie to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Pacheco's teammate and rookie wide receiver Skyy Moore would become the 24th just one quarter later.
On top of joining that distinguished group, Pacheco also became the first seventh-round draft pickever to score a Super Bowl touchdown and the first Dominican NFL player to score in a Super Bowl. He is also the first rookie running back since 1988 to be drafted after the top-32 picks (251st) to have 75+ rushing yards and a touchdown in the big game.
The impact Pacheco had on the Chiefs' season as a rookie is bigger than the stat sheets convey. The 23-year-old's physicality and tenacity wear opposing defenses down. Pacheco picks up the ugly, downhill yards that make the job easier for Kansas City's passing game.
"He's so physically gifted, it's hard for defenses to account for how physical he is," said quarterback Patrick Mahomes after the Chiefs' divisional round win over the Jaguars.
That physicality showed up on Sunday night. Pacheco, who has overcome a life full of adversity, was running so angry that he ran himself into the history books.
Image via Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer-USA TODAY NETWORK
