Will Kareem Hunt Continue to Play Ahead of Isiah Pacheco for the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX?

Since the start of the current NFL season, the backfield of the Kansas City Chiefs has undergone quite a few alterations. After entering the campaign with Isiah Pacheco as the clear No. 1 back in the offense, the Chiefs are entering their Super Bowl matchup versus the Philadelphia Eagles with Pacheco and Kareem Hunt splitting touches.

Even though Kansas City hasn't had much success running the ball this season, it will be interesting to see how they elect to deploy Hunt and Pacheco on Sunday. Despite the Chiefs ranking 8th in adjusted rushing NEP per play (0.10), they are 22nd in rushing yards per game (105.3), as they understandably prefer to put the ball in Patrick Mahomes' hands more often than not.

Given the shift we've seen in Hunt's usage in the postseason, should we expect him to continue leading the charge over Pacheco in Super Bowl LIX? Let's take a look at what has changed in the latter part of the season and discuss what we should expect from Kansas City's rushing duo versus Philly.

Isiah Pacheco Since His Leg Injury

Although it's an extremely small sample size of two games, Pacheco led the Chiefs' running backs in snap rate (74.3%), rushing attempts per game (17), scrimmage yards per game (94.5), and red-zone rushing share (70.0%), per NextGenStats, before suffering a broken fibula in Week 2. Pacheco's leg injury would land him on injured reserve until Week 13.

After deploying a combination of Carson Steele and Samaje Perine in Week 3, Kansas City reunited with Hunt, and he immediately became the starter in Week 4. In the eight games Hunt was active in from Week 4 through 12 -- which was before Pacheco returned -- he led the way with 19.4 rushing attempts per game, 89.0 scrimmage yards per game, and a 71.4% red-zone rushing share.

When Pacheco returned in Week 13, many expected him to be eased in before becoming the starter again while Hunt would be the backup. However, over the seven games Hunt and Pacheco have been active in together since Week 13 (excluding Week 18 when Kansas City rested starters), Hunt has posted team-high marks in snap rate (43.4%), rushing attempts per game (44.0), and red-zone rushing share (34.3%).

Comparatively, Pacheco has tallied a 35.3% snap rate, 8.4 rushing attempts per game, and 34.6 scrimmage yards per game in the same seven-game span.

Kareem Hunt's Expanded Playoff Role

If we were to dive deeper into how the Chiefs have split the workload between Hunt and Pacheco in the postseason, the metrics favor Hunt even further. Across Kansas City's first two postseason contests, Hunt is pacing the team in snap rate (52.7%), rushing attempts per game (12.5), scrimmage yards per game (58.0), and red-zone rushing share (30.8%).

On the other hand, Pacheco is tallying a 30.4% snap rate, 5.0 rushing attempts per game, 21.0 scrimmage yards per game, and 23.1% red-zone rushing share. Additionally, Hunt has been the more effective runner in the playoffs, notching a 48.0% rushing success rate (compared to Pacheco's 20.0% rushing success rate) despite neither of them looking overly explosive.

At the moment, Hunt is on a four-game streak of scoring a rushing touchdown, so it's clear he's the preferred option once the Chiefs get near the goal line. But when the Super Bowl kicks off and Kansas City takes the field on offense, should we expect Hunt and Pacheco to have different roles in the backfield?

What to Expect From Hunt and Pacheco in Super Bowl LIX

Even though the Chiefs could desperately use an explosive back in the biggest game of the year, I'm expecting more of the same when it comes to how Hunt and Pacheco have been utilized in the postseason. Whether it's due to his leg injury still affecting him or the fact he's never been much of a home-run hitter in the backfield -- or a combination of both -- Pacheco just hasn't shown enough to warrant him seeing a seismic change in his usage for the Super Bowl.

Upon looking at the betting markets for Hunt and Pacheco, not much is standing out besides Hunt potentially extending his touchdown streak to five games. Although the Eagles boast a stout run defense, Hunt has scored at least one touchdown in 8 of his 15 appearances this season, which suggests his odds to score should be hovering around -114.

If there is a prop I'd be interested in for Pacheco, I'd lean toward taking the under on Pacheco's rushing plus receiving yards prop. Through Kansas City's first two playoff games, Pacheco has touched the ball seven or fewer times in both contests, while he's yet to clear 24 rushing plus receiving yards in both, as well.

With the Chiefs likely leaning on Mahomes and the aerial attack -- and for good reason -- it's tough to get overly excited about the potential outputs of Hunt or Pacheco in Super Bowl LIX.

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