The 3-0 record doesn’t fully reflect the challenges the Kansas City Chiefs had to overcome early in the 2024 NFL season. If anything, it speaks volumes about the winning culture Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have built at Arrowhead.
The Chiefs had to beat the likes of Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Atlanta Falcons in consecutive weeks to be at this position. On top of that, they had to do so without key players due to injury.
After losing Hollywood Brown for the start of the 2024 NFL season due to a sternoclavicular joint dislocation in preseason, the Chiefs placed Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve due to a fractured fibula sustained in Week 2.
Reid, however, seems optimistic about Pacheco’s replacement. Rookie fullback Carson Steele stepped up as the starting running back on Sunday night, and his performance appeared to impress the coach. Speaking to the press this week, Reid hinted that Steele could prove to be a valuable asset for Mahomes.
Carson Steele #42 of the Kansas City Chiefs runs the ball during the first quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
“For his first game, I thought he did a real nice job. He’s got to fix a couple of things on protection, but he’ll take care of that,” Reid said of Steele, via Arrowhead Pride. “In the run game, he was hitting the right holes and working the daylight. He was finishing runs. We corrected the trying to elbow guys while going through with his carry hand and cleaned that up from the week before. He gives you an honest down, and he’s going to run hard. He’s a big kid. He’s going to come at you.”
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After going undrafted this year, Steele found himself with none other than the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. Against all odds, the UCLA product ended up making the 53-man roster. And Pacheco’s injury allows him to enjoy an even bigger role.
On Sunday, Steele was the go-to player for Mahomes in the running game, leading the Chiefs in carries (17) and rushing yards (72) in the 22-17 win over the Falcons. After the game, the 21-year-old admitted that he felt the increased workload.
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“Yeah, [I was] a little beat up,” Steele said, though he clarified, “I’m not going to lie, but college kind of prepared me for that, having those 28 to 30 carry games. So, [I’m] just taking care of my body — really getting some treatment and being able to be ready for next week.”
Steele knows he still has work to do, but he’s aware that his first start was quite positive: “We went back and watched the tape, [and saw] a few things we can fix — stuff like that. You’re always going to have mistakes in a game. But overall, we were pushing the ball down the field and all the running backs were rotating in. Me and Perine were getting at it. So, [we’re] very excited and have just got to keep going and learning from there.”
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With Pacheco on injured reserve, Steele is expected to continue being a key weapon for Mahomes in the running game. The RB room, however, now also counts on Kareem Hunt, who returned to Kansas City after five seasons in Cleveland.
