Injuries have been a nightmare for the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2024 NFL season. Andy Reid‘s team has overcome these setbacks, as the Chiefs haven’t lost a game since last year. Their winning streak, however, will be once again put to the test on Sunday by Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
In his Wednesday press conference ahead of practice, the Chiefs head coach provided some important injury updates. That’s when he confirmed that both running back Isiah Pacheco and defensive end Charles Omenihu would return to team practice this week.
“As far as the injuries go, Charles (Omenihu) and (Isiah) Pacheco will start working today, and we’ll just gradually build them up as we go,” Reid said, via Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports. “And that’s really it. Everybody else is practicing.”
On Tuesday, the Chiefs opened the 21-day practice window for both players to come back from Injured Reserve. However, Reid appeared to rule them out for Sunday’s game against Allen and company.
Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Unlikely,” Reid said when asked whether Pacheco and Omenihu would play against Buffalo. The Chiefs coach will probably wait and see how they respond this week before jumping to any conclusion, but the Bills game appears to come a bit soon for these players.
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Pacheco and Omenihu coming back from serious injuries
Pacheco was placed on IR after fracturing his fibula during the Chiefs’ Week 2 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, whereas Omenihu hasn’t seen NFL action since suffering a torn ACL in the 2024 AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Since the latter has been injured before the 2023 NFL season ended, the Chiefs had time to prepare for his absence this season. Pacheco’s injury, on the other hand, caught the team off guard.
Still, Kansas City did a great job in replacing its starting running back. Reid gave more snaps to rookie Carson Steele and veteran Samaje Perine at first, but the Chiefs immediately provided him a better option by bringing back Kareem Hunt.
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Reid expects Chiefs wideout to return vs Bills
While the coach suggested the team should wait a bit longer to see Pacheco and Omenihu back on the field, he also had some good news as Reid expects Mahomes to recover another weapon to play the Bills.
According to the Chiefs’ head coach, we can expect wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to return from a hamstring injury in Buffalo: “There’s a good chance he’s back. We’ll see as we go through practice but if it’s up to him, he’s back.”
