Isiah Pacheco has taken a major backseat to Kareem Hunt during the playoffs. Pacheco has only seen five carries in each of the Chiefs’ first two playoff games, which is only 28.8% of the team’s running back carries, while logging 29.9% of the snaps. Meanwhile, Hunt has handled 71.4% of the carries and logged 52.9% of the snaps. Neither Pacheco nor Hunt have fumbled this season and the two backs are gaining an identical 3.7 YPC.
However, Hunt has been better in short yardage situations and Andy Reid and this Chiefs coaching staff clearly trusts Hunt and his eight years of experience over Pacheco, who has three years in the NFL on his resume. It’s hard to imagine Kansas City changing its game plan much in the Super Bowl and giving Pacheco more work. Plus, there is a chance that the Chiefs get behind early and don’t run the ball much in this contest. This postseason, the Eagles have gotten off to hot starts, scoring 12.3 PPG in the first quarter, while the Chiefs have started quietly, averaging only 6.5 PPG in the first frame.
All in all, Pacheco should see little work as a rusher in the Super Bowl and backing him for under 5.5 carries at a +105 price on DraftKings Sportsbook is a no-brainer. Also, given the Eagles have nearly doubled the Chiefs’ first quarter production this postseason, attacking them to win the first quarter on the ML makes a ton of sense at +100 on DraftKings Sportsbook.
