Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco is facing a lengthy injury layoff after fracturing his leg in Sunday’s last-gasp win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the NFL champions confirmed on Monday. Two-time Super Bowl-winner Pacheco limped off late in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs’ 26-25 win on Sunday and was later seen hobbling from the stadium wearing a protective boot.
The Chiefs confirmed on Monday the 25-year-old had suffered a fractured right fibula, making a layoff of several weeks all but inevitable. Head coach Andy Reid declined to put a timeframe on Pacheco’s injury. “I don’t have a timeframe on Pacheco,” Reid said. “I know it won’t be this week, and it’ll probably be more than that obviously. It’s going to take a little bit of time.”
Pacheco has been one of the Chiefs’ most reliable offensive weapons since being snagged by Kansas City with the 251st pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. He won a Super Bowl in his rookie 2022-2023 season, scoring a touchdown in a 38-35 win over Philadelphia in the NFL showpiece. He followed that up with a second Super Bowl title last season as the Chiefs edged out the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas.
Reid revealed Pacheco had been in tears after sustaining his injury on Sunday but was now “in a better place than he was.” “He’s a guy who loves to play the game; he had tears and he was emotional — but you don’t ever want to lose that,” Reid said. “Nobody likes to play more than he likes to play.”
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