Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco speaks on his return, praises teammates and training staff for getting him there

It's been a long road for Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco and he finally got to the final destination on Friday afternoon: returning to the field.

"I felt awesome just having that moment to get that contact again," said Pacheco. "I've been missing it. I've been back up on anger. So being able to let that anger out on the field, it was a blessing."

Pacheco broke his leg in the Chiefs' week two win over the Cincinnati Bengals and missed the ensuing nine games. They can be hard for players to miss, as Pacheco was honest about needing to get his anger out. 

Without having Pacheco on the field, the Chiefs turned to veteran and former Chiefs third-round pick Kareem Hunt to handle the running back duties. Pacheco was asked about what he thought about the position and what he saw while he was out.

"Yes, hats off to him stepping up. It's been a tough run. He's been awesome leading the room. Everybody's been following the leaders, and most importantly for me, just pinpointing the details in the meeting room for when I had the opportunity to get up and show my ability was to focus on the details, the chips, the check downs, and just the little things that will make me my game a little bit better today."

While rehabbing an injury on injured reserve, players aren't allowed to practice, but they are able to be in the facility and participate in meetings. With Pacheco being a young running back, being in a meeting room with a player like Hunt can be impactful to helping develop his game to the next level.

The Chiefs did the smart thing by limiting Pacheco's touches in his return. He carried the ball just seven times for 44 yards and one catch for five yards. It's a good idea to ease him back in, as it's important to have him for the stretch run. Getting him ready for that return is something Pacheco credits the training staff with.

"With the great training staff we have, they did a phenomenal job not rushing me, not some of the things at me, we build it up every day. We came back with something, I was able to come back with something that's happened in practice, either I was sore or, you know, just being able to work through the moment of being hurt and just not satisfied. I know that team coaches, everybody had my back, and it shows here when you got guys flying around and excited to play football." 

The Chiefs clinched a playoff spot on Friday afternoon becoming the first team in the National Football League to do so, and having Pacheco back is going to be ahuge for them in winning their third-consecutive Super Bowl.