Chiefs look to stay undefeated as Mahomes and Allen face off again
By Calvin Silvers
The Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up for what promises to be another thrilling chapter in the Patrick Mahomes vs. Josh Allen rivalry. Looking at the Chiefs’ injury report, two players that were on injured reserve, running back Isiah Pacheco and defensive end Charles Omenihu, were listed as limited participants in Thursday’s practice.
Wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, was a full participant in Thursday’s session. However, the big surprise on the injury front came with kicker Harrison Butker. The Pro Bowl kicker is heading to injured reserve due to a knee injury and is expected to undergo surgery to trim the meniscus in his left knee.
In the meantime, the Chiefs have signed kicker Spencer Shrader from the New York Jets’ practice squad to fill in.
One position not facing serious injuries on both teams is the quarterback. The quarterback position is the most crucial in football, and for much of the 21st century, the NFL’s greatest rivalry was between Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.
Now, the torch has been passed to Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. The two quarterbacks have squared off a total of seven times, with Mahomes winning all three postseason meetings, while Allen holds a 3-1 edge in regular-season matchups.
“You’re playing the best, I mean, the best of the best, that’s what you want in this league,” Mahomes said. “I’ve been able to go up against Josh for a multitude of times, and every single game is, you know, it comes down to the very end and he’s a guy that competes and he has that fire.”
Speaking of Allen, he’s playing some of the best football of his career, limiting his interceptions to just four through 10 games. His 2,281 passing yards rank among the top 10 in the league, but he’s also a serious threat with his legs.
“We’ve got to continue to play the run well and then then it’s all the other stuff, but what they add to it is the quarterback and he runs like a fullback, so we know what we’re in for,” defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. “We’ve gone against him quite a bit, a lot of respect for him and we got our work cut out for us.”
While both Isiah Pacheco and Charles Omenihu are still on injured reserve this week, neither is expected to play on Sunday.
As for Omenihu, he’s working his way back after an ACL tear.
“He ran around yesterday and again, there wasn’t much he could do, but he got off to the side and hit sleds, worked with Joe, got together with one of the practice squad o-linemen.”
As for Pacheco, the Chiefs’ leading rusher over the past two seasons, he hasn’t been on the field since Week 2 due to a fractured right fibula.
Kansas City ranks 21st in the league in rushing yards, its lowest mark since 2019, but is eager to get Pacheco back and restore some energy to the backfield.
“The fact that they run hard, they’re physical, they’re violent, Pacheco brings that energizer buddy mentality,” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said. “You put that together with Kareem, it’s a great one-two punch.”
