After all the hype, Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco saw limited use against the Bears

Football is finally back!

Unfortunately, the Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Chicago Bears 19-14 in Saturday’s preseason opener, which means it’s time to hit the panic button.

All right... maybe that’s an overstatement.

Kansas City’s starters actually looked good on both sides of the ball. The defense was flying around — and quarterback Patrick Mahomes led a very methodical drive that resulted in a touchdown pass to tight end Blake Bell.

Before the game, however, all the hype was about rookie running back Isiah Pacheco. But when the teams took the field, the seventh-round pick from Rutgers didn’t see much action.

In eight offensive snaps, Pacheco rushed twice for six yards to go along with a catch (where he broke a tackle near the end zone) for five yards. He also returned the second half’s opening kickoff 34 yards to the Kansas City 27.

“I thought he ran hard, played fast, and he didn’t look like he shied down from anything,” head coach Andy Reid told reporters after the game at Soldier Field. “Pretty accurate with the things that he did. I thought he did a nice job. He’s one of the young guys that I was happy had a chance to play.”

There is little doubt that Kansas City fans would like to see Pacheco play more in upcoming preseason games. But his limited use could be a sign of how much the team values him. Just a couple of days ago, his quarterback raved about the rookie.

“Yeah, I mean he’s physically gifted,” said Mahomes after Thursday’s training camp practice at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. “He’s a smart player. He practices really hard. I mean, he’s big and fast. When you’re big and fast and smart, usually good things happen.”

There’s can be little doubt that Pacheco’s potential is there. But it may be a little bit before we see him on the field as much as we’d like.