Ahead of Sunday's AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, Patrick Mahomes is the best player entering the contest. With that said, he isn't the only member of Andy Reid and Matt Nagy's offense that has to be accounted for.
In addition to Mahomes, Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald is tasked with finding ways to slow down wide receiver Rashee Rice and tight end Travis Kelce. There's also running back Isiah Pacheco, who enjoyed a very solid sophomore campaign.
Playing 14 games in the regular season, Pacheco carried the ball 205 times for 935 yards and seven touchdowns. Averaging 4.56 yards per carry, he also had his best season as a pass-catcher. Recording 244 receiving yards on 44 receptions, his 89.8 catch percentage ranked second among all players.
Entering the conference title game, the Ravens know they'll need to keep tabs on Pacheco. Speaking to the media this week, head coach John Harbaugh praised the Chiefs' leading rusher but said he's confident in his team's ability to minimize his impact.
"They're running the ball really well," Harbaugh said. "They'll come out with three or four kinds of game plan runs in certain ways. [It's] nothing that you haven't seen before, but they dial in on something that they try to exploit. Then, No. 10, man, that guy is coming downhill. He's hitting it that way, all out. He's 225 pounds. His knees are up high. He's rolling, and it's going to be a big challenge for us to deal with him because he's as physical as a runner as there is in the league. [He's] as determined as there is, and we're going to have to be a physical, determined defense to tackle him. I like our guys. I like our guys' chances. Our guys will be up for it, and we're going to have to be because he's a good runner."
Stopping Pacheco will be much easier said than done. After he missed Weeks 14 and 15 while recovering from a shoulder procedure, he totaled just 26 rushing yards on 11 carries in his first game back. Since then, however, he finished off his regular-season slate with a 130-yard performance on 18 carries against the Cincinnati Bengals. On Wild Card Weekend, he had 89 yards and a touchdown versus the Miami Dolphins. In Sunday's victory over the Buffalo Bills, he averaged 6.47 yards per carry en route to a 97-yard performance.
The proof doesn't stop there. According to Pro Football Focus tracking data for the 2023-24 regular and postseason, Pacheco holds top 10 rushing ranks in yards after contact, runs of 10 or more yards and designed runs of at least 15 yards. He's not only powerful, but explosive. He runs with an attitude that consistently sends the internet into a frenzy during nationally televised Chiefs games. Pacheco's style is relatively unique in the modern NFL.
Of course, Pacheco isn't perfect. He still struggles with patience and his vision remains inconsistent deep into his second season. With that said, he's hands-down Kansas City's best rushing threat and more of a well-rounded back in year No. 2. He commands the attention and respect of the opposing defense, and last week showed that he can help influence a game in a big way. With that in mind, the hosts at M&T Bank Stadium are clearly plotting their plan to bring that level of impact down a few notches. It'll be on the visitors to keep Pacheco in play.
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