Kansas City will rest running back Isiah Pacheco at practice this week and has ruled him out for the regular-season finale Sunday at Denver because of a rib injury, with Chiefs coach Andy Reid saying that he will be ready for the postseason.
“He’ll be available playoff-wise. He is tender,” Reid said Monday. “I’ll probably hold him back this week in practice just a bit so he can be fresh and ready to go.”
Pacheco, 25, has played in only seven games (six starts) this season and has 83 carries for 310 yards and one touchdown, along with 12 receptions for 79 yards. The starting running back sustained a broken right fibula in his team’s victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.
He played in Kansas City’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day and sustained the rib injury.
Kansas City selected Pacheco in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He has rushed for 2,075 yards and 13 TDs on 458 attempts and caught 69 passes for 453 yards and two TDs in 38 games (30 starts).
Reid also said that left tackle D.J. Humphries is making steady progress from his hamstring injury. The Chiefs signed Humphries, a 2021 Pro Bowl selection with Arizona, on Nov. 23, but he has played in only one game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 8.
“He’s doing good,” Reid said. “I can’t make you any promise. I want to get him out to practice and kind of see where we’re at. But he is doing good in his rehab part. That’s different than being on the field. So, I’d like to just see how he does there.”
The Chiefs (15-1) can afford to rest players as they have clinched the No. 1 overall seed and a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs, while the Broncos (9-7) are fighting for the last wild-card berth.