Kansas City Chiefs’ running game can’t continue to be an afterthought if the offense is to reach its height in 2025
The Kansas City Chiefs must build off of what they learned about their running game in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ running game drew heavy scrutiny following the Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt combined for just 41 yards on 10 carries, as star quarterback Patrick Mahomes out-rushed the duo with six carries for 57 yards. Part of it can be attributed to the Chiefs trailing for the entire game, but the results have left those in Chiefs Kingdom wondering if the running game will continue to be an afterthought.
Asked whether it’s tough to evaluate the running game after Friday’s performance in Brazil, and whether he saw anything he could expand upon in the future, Chiefs HC Andy Reid kept his cards close to the chest.
“Not right here, no (laughter),” Reid said. “We need to do better in that starting off.”
Rushing yards are there for the Chiefs to take, but they’ve got to be willing to take them
What was learned about the running game was quietly one of the big positives to come out of the loss to the Chargers in Week 1. On their 17 rushing snaps, the Chiefs averaged +0.52 Expected Points Added (EPA) per rushing play. In layman’s terms, that means every time the Chiefs ran a running play, they increased the team’s probability of scoring points. Again, it’s a small sample size, but there were enough positives there to build from heading into Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Chiefs’ 82.4 rushing grade from Pro Football Focus was the second-best in the NFL through one week, trailing only the Washington Commanders. Their run-blocking grade didn’t come out quite as promising (48.4), ranking fifth-worst. That obviously is something that needs to improve. The Chiefs also had the lowest percentage of RB runs to gain zero rushing yards in Week 1, according to Warren Sharp of SharpFootballAnalysis.com. That’s easier to do when your running backs only carry the ball ten times, yet the point stands that they’ve got the pieces to be successful in the running game.
How the Chiefs can get the run game going in Week 2 against the Eagles
The Chiefs are going to have their hands full, facing a dominant defensive line and a hyper-athletic linebacker corps in Week 2 against the Eagles, yet there are still some things they can do to have better success in the running game. It starts, as Andy Reid alluded, with doing better earlier in the game so you don’t run the risk of falling behind and abandoning the run. However, on the micro level, there are other things they can do as well.
Lean on Isiah Pacheco: While Pacheco’s vision has come under rightful scrutiny, he also averaged five yards per carry in Week 1 against the Chargers. He’s still the team’s best bet at getting the running game going at a high clip, even if he’s sometimes looking to run through someone instead of around them. He’s on a “revenge tour” after all.
Get Brashard Smith more involved: The rookie is undoubtedly the team’s most explosive running back. He didn’t get a single carry in Week 1 against the Chargers. A package of plays for him, beyond working in the passing game in the red zone, should be on the agenda for Kansas City. Having some explosive plays in the running game can help set up play-action, which could surely help this offense while they’re waiting for Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice to return.
Force the Eagles to account for No. 15: Off the back of a performance where he scrambled often and put the team on his back, the Chiefs would be wise to mix in a read-option play or two to force the defense to account for Patrick Mahomes.
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