Why isn’t Isiah Pacheco playing for the Chiefs against the Panthers in Week 12? When will he be back?

Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco won’t be ready to return to action this weekend, as the back-to-back Super Bowl champions bid to bounce back from their opening defeat of the season.

What injury does Isiah Pacheco have?

Pacheco hasn’t played for the Chiefs since suffering a fractured fibula in the Missourians' Week 2 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on September 15.

A limited participant since returning to practice in the week before last Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, the 25-year-old is listed as ‘out’ in Kansas City’s official injury report for today’s Week 12 match-up with the Carolina Panthers.

Speaking earlier this week, head coach Andy Reid said the Chiefs were taking things “day by day” with Pacheco, adding that the former Rutgers star is eager to make his comeback after more than two months out.

“He’s a spark plug now, emotionally,” Reid told reporters. “He’s something that way, and he’s worked his tail off to get to the point that he’s at now. We’ve got to keep an eye on him that way. He would’ve played three weeks ago if he had his choice, but that’s sometimes how it goes. I appreciate that, though, that mentality. That’s what’s helped him get to this point.”

When will Pacheco return for the Chiefs?

NFL insider Ian Rapoport added on Friday that Pacheco is now “healthy enough to go”, but stressed Kansas City’s cautious approach to his return. Per widespread reports, the RB appears well placed to make his comeback in five days’ time, when the Chiefs face a Friday Night Football clash with the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Chiefs also say that Charles Omenihu won’t be ready for today’s game against the Panthers, as the defensive end completes his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). Omenihu sustained the serious knee injury in January, in Kansas City’s win over the Baltimore Ravens in the 2023 AFC Championship Game.

Chiefs vs Panthers: when, where, how to watch?

Held at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Week 12 game between the Chiefs and the Panthers kicks off today, Sunday November 24, at 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT. If you’re in the US, you’ll be able to watch the clash on CBS. You can stream CBS’s coverage on the online platform fubo, which offers new users a free trial.

While the Chiefs head into Week 12 with a 9-1 record, the Panthers are 3-7 and well off the postseason pace. However, Carolina have won their last two games, claiming victories over the New Orleans Saints and the New York Giants in weeks 9 and 10, respectively.

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