Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco (10) runs against Miami Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott during the first half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco was relaxed Wednesday as reporters peppered him with questions, the opposite of his running style that has commonly been described as angry.
When asked how he would describe his style, Pacheco deferred to the experts, or in this case the media.
Kansas City coach Andy Reid had his own description, calling Pacheco “a violent runner.”
If any player could actually run through a wall, it would be Pacheco, who punishes linebackers and defensive backs trying to bring him down.
“That starts with practice at the beginning of the week when we prepare,” Pacheco said. “I go out there with a full head of steam knowing the down and distance, getting 4 yards or whatever it may be to win the down.”
The Chiefs will need Pacheco’s ability to move the chains to balance Patrick Mahomes’ passing attack when they play the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Pacheco, though, knows how to keep an event even as enormous as the Super Bowl in perspective.
He has suffered enormous loss away from the field, which likely fuels his play on it. Pacheco downplayed the effect of losing two siblings in his home state of New Jersey as a reason he runs so hard, saying he always had the fire inside him.
His brother, Travoise Cannon, was fatally stabbed in 2016. He was 29. Pacheco’s sister, Celeste Cannon, died the following year after being shot in the head by a man who shared a child with her. She was 24.
Pacheco was in high school at the time, forcing him to grow up fast. He had the chance to leave New Jersey and play college ball elsewhere, but opted to remain in the state and play at Rutgers.
His best season was his sophomore year when Pacheco rushed for 729 yards and seven…
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