![\"Dec](\"https:\/\/images2.minutemediacdn.com\/image\/upload\/c_crop,x_0,y_167,w_6630,h_3729\/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto\/images\/ImagnImages\/mmsport\/220\/01jzrevydvk1314feyqg.jpg\")
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The Kansas City Chiefs are banking on their ground game getting a serious upgrade this season\u2014and training camp is gonna be the first test to see if they\u2019re on the right track.<\/p>\n
The run game was flat-out rough last year. Kansas City finished 22nd in total rushing yards with just 1,790 yards and ranked 29th in yards per carry at a sad 4.0. That\u2019s not gonna cut it when you\u2019ve got defenses keying in on Patrick Mahomes and daring you to run the rock.<\/p>\n
The lack of balance handcuffed the offense. The Chiefs ended up 15th in total points\u2014a steep drop-off for a squad that\u2019s used to lighting up the scoreboard like the Fourth of July.<\/p>\n
And believe it or not, Kareem Hunt, who didn\u2019t even sign with KC until Week 4, ended up leading the team in rushing. He carried it 200 times for 728 yards and seven tuddies. His 3.6 yards per carry wasn\u2019t pretty, but when you realize 500 of those yards came after contact\u2014nearly 70 percent of his total yards\u2014it\u2019s clear he was out there dragging defenders like luggage.<\/p>\n
Hunt did what he could, but the line didn\u2019t exactly make life easy. If the Chiefs want any shot at a more balanced offense in 2025, they need their front five to hold up better in the trenches.<\/p>\n
Still, the plan this time around is to get back to letting Isiah Pacheco eat.<\/p>\n
Pacheco, a seventh-round gem from 2022, is in the last year of his rookie deal and set to make just $1.1 million. You know he\u2019s got that contract-year chip on his shoulder and is looking to cash in\u2014whether that\u2019s in KC or somewhere else.<\/p>\n
He had a breakout season in 2023 with 935 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, and looked like the real deal. But 2024 threw him a curveball. An ankle injury in Week 2 knocked him out until Week 13, and he only managed 83 carries for 310 yards and one score the whole year.<\/p>\n
Now he\u2019s back and hungry to prove he\u2019s still that dude.<\/p>\n
The backfield\u2019s more crowded than ever. Hunt\u2019s still hanging around, and the Chiefs brought in Elijah Mitchell to stir the pot. Altogether, there are six backs fighting for snaps\u2014and that makes training camp a pressure cooker.<\/p>\n
Pacheco\u2019s got the juice. He\u2019s physical, runs angry, and brings that energy you can\u2019t coach. But the Chiefs aren\u2019t handing him anything. He\u2019s gotta show he\u2019s back to form and ready to carry the load again.<\/p>\n
If he can prove he\u2019s the guy, KC\u2019s run game could finally match the firepower of their passing attack. If not, he might find himself in a rotation\u2014or worse, looking over his shoulder.<\/p>\n The Kansas City Chiefs are banking on their ground game getting a serious upgrade this season\u2014and training camp is gonna be the first test to see if they\u2019re on<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27855,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kansas-city-chiefs"],"yoast_head":"\n