Chiefs' Pacheco expected to miss Bills showdown

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Chiefs are expected to be without running back Isiah Pacheco for their high-profile game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday after their leading rusher sprained a knee ligament in last week's win over the Washington Commanders.

Pacheco did not practice Wednesday as the Chiefs turned their attention to the rematch of last year's AFC Championship Game, which means Kareem Hunt is in line for more carries, with Brashard Smith and Elijah Mitchell backing him up.

Pacheco, who has 329 yards rushing through the first eight weeks, carried 12 times for 58 yards before hurting his knee late in Monday night's win. Pacheco also missed a chunk of last season when he fractured his fibula in a game against Cincinnati.

"We'll just see. He's moving around. But tough kid," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday. "There was a point where he wanted to go back in [Monday] and I wouldn't let him. That's how he's wired. You have to cut his legs off to stop him."

Hunt has primarily been the short-yardage back this season and is a big reason the Chiefs have the league's best offense on fourth down, converting on 14 of 16 attempts with Patrick Mahomes on the field.

Hunt, the club's 2017 third-round pick, returned to the Chiefs last year after Pacheco got hurt in Week 2, and he filled in admirably for them despite having missed the previous offseason and training camp while recovering from his own injury.

He signed a $1.5 million contract in March to stay with Kansas City, though incentives could push the value much higher.

"He's probably in better shape, just in overall better shape, not that he was in terrible shape before," Reid said. "But he's had a year to do it, and kind of get back in the swing after having a little bit of a layoff there."

The biggest question is whether Hunt can sustain his effectiveness with additional carries. He has yet to run the ball more than 13 times in a game this season, and he only had four carries in a win over the Raiders two weeks ago.

"I feel the best I've felt the last three or four years," Hunt said. "Body is feeling good."

Smith, a seventh-round pick in the April draft, had started to earn more playing time even before Pacheco got hurt. The former college wide receiver ran 14 times against the Raiders, mostly in the fourth quarter as Kansas City was trying to finish off a 31-0 rout, and he was effective even though the Las Vegas defense knew he would be getting the ball.

Mitchell is the wild card in the equation. He ran for nearly 1,000 yards during the 2021 season in San Francisco, but his playing time dwindled the following two seasons, and he missed all of last year while recovering from a hamstring injury.

"A lot of guys wouldn't even come back from that thing," Reid said. "He battled back, and you could see him getting better every week through camp, and progressing through now. He takes a lot of reps with the scout-team group."

Whomever gets the carries against Buffalo could benefit from the return of standout right guard Trey Smith, who missed last week's win over the Commanders with back spasms. Smith returned to the practice field Wednesday.

ESPN's Nate Taylor and The Associated Press contributed to this report.