The Kansas City Chiefs face the Denver Broncos in Week 1 of the 2026-27 NFL season at Arrowhead Stadium, featuring Patrick Mahomes’ return from an ACL injury in one of the year’s most anticipated matchups, complete with a halftime show. However, questions remain regarding why Isiah Pacheco is not playing for the Andy Reid-led squad.
The answer is simple: the Chiefs decided to part with veteran running back Isiah Pacheco earlier this year as they looked to rebuild their offense after a failed 2025 campaign. Pacheco quickly found work with the Detroit Lions, who signed him to a one-year contract in free agency.
However, even if Pacheco were still with the Chiefs, he would not have been available to play. While Detroit’s ground game was already spearheaded by speedy rusher Jahmyr Gibbs, Pacheco was expected to make an immediate impact for the Lions as a second or third option in the team’s offensive backfield.
What happened to Pacheco?
Instead, Pacheco found himself on Detroit’s injured reserve list to start the 2026 season, failing to make his debut in the Lions’ Week 1 overtime win against the New Orleans Saints on September 13.
Isiah Pacheco of Detroit Lions.
With Pacheco on the sideline, Detroit leaned on Gibbs in the running game, giving the former Alabama Crimson Tide star 29 carries in its 31-30 victory over New Orleans. Crucially, Pacheco is dealing with an injury that is not expected to continue impacting his play long-term, but parting ways was one of those tough decisions the Chiefs had to make for upcoming NFL seasons.
The Chiefs’ history with Pacheco and new-look offense
In recent years, the Chiefs have lacked a dominant ground attack due to constant injuries suffered by former starting running back Pacheco. For that reason, they decided to let him walk in free agency this year, signing Kenneth Walker in his place—who was the MVP of the last Super Bowl while playing for the Seattle Seahawks.
With Walker, they will look to establish the ground game from the start and relieve some pressure from Mahomes, who already has his backup QB defined for the matchup, as does Bo Nix.
In the air, Travis Kelce, who is expected to play today, and Rashee Rice must prove themselves as they continue to serve as his primary weapons. They will have to do a better job this year, especially after their preseason performances, where they appeared out of shape and lacked sync with Mahomes.
