KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Isiah Pacheco is proud of his New Jersey roots, so getting the chance to play in his home state at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, had him ready to show out.
“I could see it from the first snap,” Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “I could see it in his eyes, like this meant more to him. He did a great job catching the ball, running the ball.”
During the first quarter, Pacheco, a seventh-round pick from nearby Rutgers in 2023, set the tone for the Chiefs, who held on for a 23-20 win, with a 48-yard touchdown run.
He juked Michael Clemons in the backfield, watched Jordan Whitehead get planted to the turf for a springing block and outran the Jets secondary, leaping across the goal line like a jumper stallion.
“I felt good,” Pacheco said. “I ain’t going to lie to you. I felt light on my feet.”
Pacheco added a career-long 33-yard catch and run on the next drive, finishing with a career-high 115 yards — and all of Jersey got to see it on the national spotlight afforded by Sunday Night Football.
“He was excited to come back,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He was very excited to come back. He’s Jersey proud, having gone to Rutgers and growing up here. He had quite a night.”
Pacheco always runs hard. It’s what has endeared him to Chiefs Kingdom, but Reid was particularly impressed with how hard he ran against the Jets — and he couldn’t have picked a better stage.
“He’s Jersey’s own, man,” Mahomes said. “He went to Rutgers, he played in Jersey and loves it. Kind of like I am with Texas, he has a lot of pride in it.”
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