What to expect from Isiah Pacheco, Skyy Moore moving forward | KCSN Daily 10.4
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The Chiefs’ defensive rookies have been getting play all year long, but Week 4 marked the first time that two offensive rookies got more involved with the game plan. Five minutes had barely elapsed before rookie RB Isiah Pacheco saw his first touches of the game. He would get 11 carries on the night and take them 63 yards, good for a 5.7-yard-per-carry average. Perhaps the most impressive thing is that he faced eight players in the box on five of his 11 touches in Week 4.
“So in camp, we saw - just like you did - we saw a hard runner,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said of Pacheco. “(He) didn’t necessarily – he was a hard runner – he didn’t necessarily have a feel for the play. He was going to just run. Every week he’s gotten a little bit better at understanding the play and then running hard. Setting up and then running hard and finishing it. And then learning the pass game and then most of all learning the protections on top of all that. He’s gotten better at all of those things. And I would anticipate every week he’ll do even better. You saw he had a nice blitz pickup during the game and so that’s progress. That’s a good thing.”
Pacheco’s ability to create yards in a stacked box and pass protect will see him on the field with greater frequency moving forward, especially with week-over-week improvements that the coaching staff has seen. He wasn’t the only rookie who saw his workload increase against the Buccaneers, though.
After back-to-back weeks with fewer than 10 snaps on offense, Skyy Moore was on the field for over 20 offensive snaps in Week 4. The second-round pick was targeted four times, catching two passes for 31 yards. Both passes came on RPO looks where he ran a slant route and he picked up a first down each time. Even on some of the plays where he wasn’t targeted — such as the lone interception thrown by Patrick Mahomes — Moore was open underneath on a crossing route.
Expect both players to continue to build on these performances, both in terms of their mastery of the offense and the trust of the quarterback and the coaching staff. If there are no setbacks, both should see their number called with greater frequency moving forward.
KC Laboratory:
KCSN’s Kent Swanson, Craig Stout, and Matt Lane break down the Kansas City Chiefs dominating performance over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football.
Transactions:
10/4 - Released from practice squad - WR Corey Coleman (Read more here)
Quotable:
“Well, he’s a good cover guy. He’s always right there and tight on it. We give him – he’s got a big responsibility. That’s not an easy position to play where you’ve got all these options that you’ve got to work out with the other safeties and with the linebackers so that’s not always just man-to-man coverage and he handles all of that very well. At the same time, he goes out and he’s equally as good out at the corner spot so that’s also a plus and he does it every day. I mean he goes out and he works at this thing every day. He’s also tough. You’ve got to have a little bit of linebacker in you, a little bit of safety (and) a little bit of corner when you get into that nickel spot. And he’s got that, and he has the feel for space, and he also can cover his man.” - Andy Reid on Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed’s skill set
“Yeah you know, I talked to the guys, like I mentioned last night, just don’t take it for granted. These things are special, some of these things we’re seeing from him, (Patrick Mahomes) so appreciate them but it’s unique so enjoy every one of them, but it’s not something that a lot of people have that advantage of being a part of. With that, I mean that throw was incredible. The throw to (Travis) Kelce is the one that might get looked over a little bit down the middle of the field. I mean that throw and that catch were ridiculous and there were a couple other ones in there that were really good. I mean the one naked play where he kind of hung onto it on third down and threw it up to JuJu (Smith-Schuster), I mean that was another good one. He had a very good game and I know the stats show that and some of the things he’s done historically have made history and (he) will continue to do that. The best thing about him is he’s always trying to get better. That’s what I appreciate the most, Pete. I mean he’s not sitting there patting himself on the back. He keeps moving forward and wanting to get even better.” - Andy Reid on QB Patrick Mahomes making special plays
KCSN Update:
KCSN’s BJ Kissel sits down with The Athletic's Nate Taylor to ask him his 5 Burning Questions ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs Monday Night Football game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Quick hits:
From the practice schedule: With the Chiefs getting an extra day due to playing on “Monday Night Football” this week, they won’t begin practicing until Thursday. Keep that in mind this week as it relates to KCSN Daily and injury reports from the team.
From QB1: Patrick Mahomes posted a pretty awesome sizzle reel of the Chiefs’ Week 4 win in Tampa. It features all of his best throws from the night, including the jump shot touchdown pass to Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
Important dates ahead:
Monday, Oct. 10 at 7:15 p.m. CT - Week 5: Chiefs vs. Raiders - GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium - Kansas City, Missouri
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