What is the deal with the Chiefs' run game woes?
The Chiefs run game continues to struggle so let's figure out why.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense once again found itself in an uphill battle trying to find a way to mask the deficiencies left by the injured Xavier Worthy and suspended Rashee Rice. Like most teams, being without your top two receiving weapons will result in an offense trying to play with “their left hand” and finding less conventional answers to have success.
When operating with a handful of wide receivers picked up after other teams cut them in recent seasons, the passing game is unlikely to be clicking at full speed. That pressure has to be alleviated elsewhere, so enter the run game for the 2025 Chiefs. The only issue is that the run game has been pretty dreadful since the start of the 2024 season, and this game was no exception.
The Chiefs’ running backs carried the ball 19 times for 55 yards. They had a combined success rate of 32% and ultimately rushed for 18 yards under expectation according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Anyone who watched the game isn’t surprised by these numbers, but in a situation where they need to lean on this aspect of their offense, what’s the deal?
Let’s dive into the film to see what could be the root cause of the Chiefs’ run game woes.
The Chiefs’ struggling run game
It’s never going to be one specific thing in scenarios like this. If it were to be that simple, the NFL coaching staff would course-correct quickly and move on with an improved team. The play calling, the coaching, the execution, and the personnel all have to share some blame, but let’s try to break it down.
The running back problem
Starting with the lowest hanging fruit, the running back position itself. The Chiefs' current running back room consists of two seventh-round draft picks and a 30-year-old runner who is clearly beyond his physical prime. Isiah Pacheco is the lead back but is starting to show why the NFL didn’t value him earlier in the draft when coming out of Rutgers.
While he has a great blend of size and speed, he’s a relatively linear mover without great contact balance. This does limit his ability to make sharp cuts, accelerate to the rush lanes, and work through would-be tacklers in traffic or the open field. Still, runners with similar skill sets have found success in the NFL due to great vision and run tempo. That is ultimately what has been Pacheco’s achilles’ heel for the Chiefs in recent games.
He is incredibly quick to rush into gaps before blockers can fully engage defenders or even hit their landmarks. His pacing on runs gives clear indications to defenders of where a run is going and allows them to beat blockers to those aiming points. Due to the lack of lateral agility, he is often unable to adjust his run on the fly to areas that defenders leave open.
Compounding these issues is subpar vision as a runner. It could be related to the pacing and limited agility, meaning he can always physically get into open rush lanes. The other option is simply that he lacks what we typically call “good vision” from a running back, in which they can see rush lanes as they open up. Both directly at the aiming point and the various designed cut lanes built into run designs.
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