Isiah Pacheco and Several Others Miss KC Chiefs Practice to Start Week 15

With a Sunday game against the Patriots on the horizon, the Chiefs have multiple players missing Wednesday's practice.

The Kansas City Chiefs are back at work for the week, hitting the practice field in advance of their Sunday afternoon outing against the New England Patriots. They'll be doing so without their full complement of players, though.

Per head coach Andy Reid on Wednesday, four members of the team will not practice. Linebacker Leo Chenal and safety Mike Edwards are sick. Elsewhere, running back Isiah Pacheco remains out with a shoulder contusion and left tackle Donovan Smith is still rehabbing from a neck stinger. The former two appear to be minor ailments, with the latter duo having missed Week 14's loss to the Buffalo Bills as a result of their respective injuries.

The most alarming situation of that group may be Pacheco's. The second-year running back came into practice last week with the aforementioned shoulder injury, which held him out of work all week and into the weekend. Missing another day to start this week isn't good news for the team's most productive running back. Veterans Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon had a near-perfect split of snaps in his absence on Sunday, as Edwards-Helaire had 68 combined yards on 13 touches and McKinnon logged 37 yards and a touchdown on seven touches.  

When asked about what the Chiefs miss without Pacheco in the fold, Reid praised each of his three halfbacks. 

"Yeah, well, that's a tough question because no matter how I answer it, it makes somebody not look good," Reid said. "We love Pacheco and we love his energy but at the same time, Clyde and McKinnon, I thought, did a tremendous job in there. I don't want to slight any of them because they're all playing well and they all bring energy in their own way."

Should Pacheco miss another game, Kansas City would be relying on that same combo to replace his production. In 12 games played this season, the former seventh-round pick has 779 yards on the ground and added another 209 through the air. Of all skill position players on the Chiefs, Pacheco's seven all-purpose touchdowns rank first. He's just ahead of rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice (six) and tight end Travis Kelce (five). 

Smith's injury situation is another one to monitor. He tried to play through the pain in Week 13 versus the Green Bay Packers but was limited to just 21 offensive snaps. Rookie third-rounder Wanya Morris replaced him and played all of Week 14's matchup in relief. If Smith can't recover in time to play this week — and maybe even if he can — look to see the first-year man get the nod and try to build on his recent strong performance at left tackle. 

Because safety Bryan Cook is on the injured reserve list, he isn't required to appear on the team's eventual list of practice designations for the day. One player to keep an eye on is linebacker Drue Tranquill, who missed last Sunday's game due to being in concussion protocol. Reid not mentioning him on Wednesday is a solid indication of the veteran's progress as he works his way back into action. Should he get cleared for this week's game, it would give the Chiefs some valuable reps with both he and Nick Bolton both healthy and on the field.

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