The Chiefs Need to Embrace Their Running Backs’ Strengths

Kansas City can turn things around at running back by letting each player thrive in his specific role.

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a win over the Tennessee Titans, and it was equal parts impressive and frightening that Patrick Mahomes dropped back to pass the ball over 80 times when including plays with penalties. He completed 43 passes in 68 attempts, throwing for 446 yards while scrambling for another 63 yards on six carries. Somehow, the Chiefs scored just 20 points in four quarters plus overtime.

Yes, Mahomes put the team on his back and figuratively (maybe even literally) said, “Let’s go win this thing.” The questions that continue to pop up throughout the week following a game like that win over the Titans revolve around the running game. What happened to the running backs?

The three-headed monster, and that term can be used loosely here, of Isiah Pacheco, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon rushed for a combined 14 yards on 12 carries in Week 9. To fit in with the rest, fullback Michael Burton added zero yards on one carry. What’s gone wrong with the Chiefs running game?

Each player brings something different to the table. It feels like the coaching staff can’t or doesn’t want to give one of them too much more playing time than another at this point. Sometimes players need more than a couple of touches to get into a flow. Force-feeding probably isn’t the best way to go, but having one guy settle into a rhythm could help the cause.

Edwards-Helaire started the 2022 campaign as the team’s starter. The efficiency as a running back hadn’t been there, though his uptick in the receiving game was a bright spot. It seemed like head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy were finally utilizing him in the way many had hoped. Using Edwards-Helaire as a weapon out of the backfield is the best option going forward.

Pacheco supplanted Edwards-Helaire as the starter before the bye week when the Chiefs played the San Francisco 49ers, leading the team in rushing with eight carries for 43 yards that day. Against the Titans, he had just five carries for five yards. Pacheco does seem like the best fit to be the starter while giving Edwards-Helaire and McKinnon prominent roles in the passing game. Pacheco also has the attitude and running style to be a good closer when the team is up late and needs a workhorse to help get first downs and run out the clock.

McKinnon seems to be the one Reid trusts the most as a pass protector and in the screen game. Against the Titans, McKinnon had six catches for 40 yards compared to three carries for four yards on the ground. the veteran will never be the between-the-tackles guy, but he can still be a positive contributor to the offense.

Another part of the run game in Reid’s offense is the jet sweep play. Wide receiver Mecole Hardman has been a big part of that section of the run game and new addition Kadarius Toney could also be used in this aspect going forward. It’s all about attacking the running game and utilizing players' strengths. Adding speedy receivers to the equation can help be part of the solution.

The other elephant in the room is getting the offensive line to play consistently from start to finish in a game. Right now, the offensive line is what it is and that may not change. It will be up to the coaches to scheme things up to make the offense successful and the line to execute that plan.

Of course, Mahomes using his legs to create when a pass play breaks down will happen from time to time, but the Chiefs don’t want their superstar quarterback to put himself in harm's way down the field trying to run 20 yards for a first down unless absolutely necessary. Getting the running game going in a more traditional way would be preferred. Just take Bieniemy's word from Thursday:

“We got to run it. We got to invest in it, meaning that we can’t just run it a few times and expect success. Just like I just discussed, this front seven was very, very impressive. Those guys did a hell of a job, but it’s just like anything that you say, when you’re pounding concrete and you’re using that hammer, it’s not going to break the first few times you utilize it, correct?

"It’s going to take a while, so we need to find out if we can run it but on top of that, we have to consistently invest in it. So, I got to do a better job, as a staff we got to do a better job that way we’re giving our guys up front and those backs an opportunity to make it happen.”

This will be something to keep an eye on not only against a Jaguars team that only gives up four yards per carry, but throughout the rest of the season. The running game can help open up the passing game to make Kansas City's offense even more explosive.