The Kansas City Chiefs don't want Patrick Mahomes running this much.
But when nothing else is working, Mahomes doesn't feel he has a choice.
The legendary quarterback is a good scrambler. He finds a way to the first-down marker or to the end zone pylon, even if it seems unlikely at first.
But the amount he's rushing the football right now is so much that he's joined noted running QB Cam Newton in the NFL record books as part of a two-person club.
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ESPN's Nate Taylor provided this stat in a new article: "Mahomes is the second quarterback since 1950 to record double any other player on his team in rushing yards in each of the first two games of a season, joining Cam Newton (2020)."
Mahomes has 123 rushing yards through two games, which is quite impressive.
But the Chiefs would much rather have Isiah Pacheco or Kareem Hunt doing the heavy run lifting. They just haven't been good enough.
"The Chiefs certainly hope it's a mirage," Taylor wrote. "But Mahomes has had to scramble to give the Chiefs a legit option on the ground. Although Isiah Pacheco is healthy, he has struggled with his limited touches. Kareem Hunt is mostly a short-yardage and third-down back."
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The Chiefs could soon turn to seventh-round rookie Brashard Smith out of SMU, but his best abilities currently reside in the pass-catching game out of the backfield, anyway.
Kansas City is 0-2, and Mahomes will keep being the hero as best he can be to try to climb out of that hole. But the Chiefs need the RBs to do their jobs, too.
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