Through 11 games, the Chiefs have gotten a lot of production out of their seventh-round rookie running back Isiah Pacheco.
He currently leads the team with 455 yards rushing, gaining 4.7 yards per carry. He’s also caught four passes for 30 yards.
But as the calendar moves to December and each game gains more meaning, there’s always the risk of the running back hitting the proverbial rookie wall. But so far, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy hasn’t seen any sign of that.
“The rookie wall is a real thing. I know I hit it my rookie year, OK? But it doesn’t seem to impact him,” Bieniemy said in his Thursday press conference. “I mean, obviously all the energy that you see after a play he does the same thing in practice. The kid’s very energized and excited about meetings. He does a good job in the walk throughs. We got to slow him down at times and then when he heads to practice, he has a bunch of energy. I want what he has bottled up so I can lose some of this weight moving forward.
“But he’s a heck of a kid and I knock on wood, I hope the rookie wall does not hit him. He seems to be in a great place right now, mentally as well as physically. And I will add to that, he has some great guys in that room who have helped him understand what it takes to become a professional at this level and how to take care of his body.”
While Clyde Edwards-Helaire is on injured reserve and Jerrick McKinnon is dealing with a hamstring injury, the Chiefs still have veteran Ronald Jones on the 53-man roster and just added veteran Melvin Gordon to the practice squad.
But for this week, the rookie wall may not be as impactful as the Cincinnati defense, which effectively walled off Derrick Henry’s production on the ground last week. We’ll see if the Bengals can do something similar when they play the Chiefs on Sunday.