KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In 19 designed running plays, the Kansas City Chiefs tried a variety of concepts in their loss Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles: zone-blocking runs, stretch runs to the outside, runs in which quarterback Patrick Mahomes was under center, and the occasional counter.
Most of those plays ended with the same result: a poor success rate.
In fact, one of the biggest plays that was significant to the game's outcome -- and the Chiefs' unusual 0-2 start -- was early in the third quarter, when coach Andy Reid elected to keep the offense on the field for a fourth-and-1 snap. Reid's playcall, one that required center Creed Humphrey to pull on a trap for running back Kareem Hunt, was stuffed immediately after Mahomes handed the ball off. The Eagles' defensive line crushed the Chiefs' offensive line, and the snap resulted in a one-yard loss.
Such a play has occurred more often than the opposite, when the Chiefs do have a rare successful running play from either Hunt or starting running back Isiah Pacheco. Through two games, the Chiefs' production from their running backs has been one of the NFL's worst. The trio of Pacheco, Hunt and rookie Brashard Smith have ranked 26th in rush yards over expected (-0.64 yards per rush over expected) and 26th in yards before contact per rush (1.59).
"I mean, we've got to do a better job all around just executing, man," Hunt said Thursday. "It's hard to run the ball when you do get behind, so we've got to convert on those situations [early] so we can run the ball.
"I just want to help my team put the ball in the end zone."
In 28 rushing attempts, Pacheco and Hunt have combined to record just 94 yards and have yet to score a touchdown. Such ineffectiveness has placed a larger burden on Mahomes -- who has had to perform without Rashee Rice (suspension) and Xavier Worthy (right shoulder injury), his top receivers -- to carry the Chiefs offense.
Mahomes leads the Chiefs -- and all NFL quarterbacks -- with 123 rushing yards. None of Mahomes' 13 attempts have been by design. In fact, Mahomes is the second quarterback since 1950 to record double the rushing yards of any other player on his team in each of the first two games of a season, joining Cam Newton (2020).
In back-to-back days, Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy agreed that Mahomes shouldn't be tasked with sustaining such a level of productivity -- and the rising number of hits he withstands from defenders.
"We're really trying to evaluate what are we best at," Nagy said Thursday. "The biggest thing we're all tackling is: 'What is our identity?' The sooner you find that identity on offense with the players you have, the better you can be. Any quarterback's best friend is a [quality] run game."
Much of the onus for the Chiefs' rushing attack this offseason was placed on Pacheco, who was effective as a rugged ball carrier in 2022 and 2023.
Last season, Pacheco missed 10 games after he broke the fibula in his right leg in Week 2. This offseason, Reid and general manager Brett Veach hoped that a healthy Pacheco would return to his top form. But in two games, Pacheco has struggled to find his rhythm.
"I just want to be a little bit more patient, as far as allowing the game to come to me," Pacheco said Friday. "After that, it's about playing fast and playing hard for my teammates."
Against the Eagles, Pacheco ran into the back of one his teammates, left guard Kingsley Suamataia, in the red zone for a 1-yard gain. The week before, Pacheco didn't properly set up a block on the perimeter for rookie left tackle Josh Simmons in the season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, a play in which he could've scored a 20-yard touchdown.
Of the 40 qualifying running backs in the league, Pacheco ranks last in rushing yards over expected at (-1.2).
"I feel like it's a mental thing, but I think he's going to be just fine," Hunt said of Pacheco. "He's got to get going and slow it down a little bit. He'll be fine."
In preparing for Sunday night's game against the New York Giants (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC), Nagy said the Chiefs still plan to have Pacheco and Hunt split the rushing attempts. But Nagy acknowledged that he hopes one of the running backs has such a strong performance against the Giants that deciding who to keep on the field more often will be easier for him and Reid.
Dan Orlovsky breaks down why he is "not confident" the Chiefs can get their offense back on track this season.
"Guys can get hot when they have certain carries," Nagy said. "You can start to feel that. It's probably like a shooter. When you're hot, when you're on fire, you get them more carries."
Another surprising statistic for the Chiefs is that their offensive line is ranked 31st in run block win rate, successfully blocking the collective defensive linemen on designed running plays just 64% of the time. Hunt understands the lack of success he and Pacheco have had can erode the collective confidence of the linemen. The Chiefs are also experiencing the growing pains of trying to develop two young players, Simmons and Suamataia, during the first month of the season.
"There's things we're missing fundamentally and things awareness-wise that we've got to clean up," Humphrey said of him and fellow linemen. "It's closer than what it feels like. There're new guys up front and we're working through some things. Just continuing to get reps together will help us focus on the fundamentals and the film work. As we grow, things are going to get better."
One positive trend the Chiefs should look to further cultivate is their rushing attempts when Mahomes is under center. Most of those plays, Nagy said, are what the Chiefs call "breather runs" -- plays in which Mahomes can take a quick break by just handing the ball to either Pacheco or Hunt.
The largest gain this season for Pacheco (10 yards) and Hunt (11 yards) each occurred when the Chiefs faced a light box from the opposing defense and the entire offensive line blocked forward to create downhill running lanes.
"Part of football is being able to trust in the run game whenever they're in the light boxes and force them to come down so we can throw some of the shots down the field," Mahomes said Wednesday. "That will come together more and more as the O-line continues to jel and the running backs can gel with the O-line."