KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The faithful in Chiefs Kingdom are reeling. After two weeks of the 2025 NFL season, their beloved Kansas City Chiefs sit at 0-2, with an offense that looks more like a sputtering engine than the high-octane machine that’s carried them to multiple Super Bowls. Patrick Mahomes, the wizard under center, is doing everything he can—throwing lasers and even leading the team in rushing with 123 yards—but it’s not enough. The ground game? A disaster. And with the wide receiver room decimated by injuries, the pressure is mounting on the running back corps to step up. Enter rookie Brashard Smith: the seventh-round speedster who might just be the desperate plea from Andy Reid’s staff to salvage this season.
It’s hard to overstate the shock rippling through Arrowhead Stadium and beyond. The Chiefs, perennial AFC West overlords and recent champions, were supposed to cruise through the early schedule. Instead, they stumbled in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers in São Paulo and dropped a heartbreaker 20-17 to the Philadelphia Eagles at home in Week 2. The passing game has been hampered by a depleted WR corps—key targets sidelined early, forcing Mahomes to improvise more than ever. But the real gut-punch? The rushing attack, which has been non-existent. Through two games, Kansas City ranks near the bottom in yards per carry, with running backs Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt combining for just 89 yards on 28 attempts. That’s an abysmal 3.2 yards per pop—hardly the foundation for a balanced offense.
And then there’s that stat that’s got everyone talking: Mahomes as the team’s leading rusher. The man who dissects defenses with his arm is now moonlighting as a scrambler out of necessity, not design. Seven of the Chiefs’ nine runs of 10+ yards this season? All Mahomes. In a league where mobile QBs like Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts thrive on designed runs in big spots, seeing Mahomes lean on his legs this early screams dysfunction. “Pat’s been phenomenal,” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy admitted in a Thursday presser, his voice laced with a mix of admiration and concern. “But we can’t keep putting that on him. The running back position, guys can get hot. We don’t have anything in particular where we want to get one or the other more carries.” He paused, then borrowed from hoops: “It’s like a shooter—when you get hot, you want them to keep shooting.”
Nagy’s words, reported by Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports, were diplomatic, but the subtext was clear: the vets aren’t igniting. Pacheco, the bruising third-year back, has shown flashes but lacks the burst to turn small creases into chunk plays. Hunt, the veteran power runner, looks a step slow after a bounce-back year in 2024. Vision issues have plagued both, turning potential lanes into dead ends. The offensive line—despite investments—hasn’t been the culprit; blocks are there, but the backs aren’t hitting them with authority. It’s a recipe for stagnation, and with a tough Week 3 matchup looming against a run-stuffing defense, the Chiefs can’t afford another week of this malaise.
That’s where Brashard Smith enters the fray, and the buzz around One Arrowhead Drive is turning into a full-throated roar. The 5-foot-9, 194-pound rookie out of SMU was a seventh-round steal in April’s draft, selected at No. 228 after the Chiefs traded up slightly to snag him. Smith isn’t your typical RB prospect—he transitioned from wide receiver at Miami to the backfield during his senior year at SMU, where he exploded for over 1,600 all-purpose yards and 18 touchdowns. His tool kit? Elite speed (a blistering 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the Combine) and receiving chops that make him a nightmare in space. Sure, he’s raw: vision needs polishing, and his slight frame raises questions about pass protection. But in a backfield desperate for explosiveness, Smith’s afterburners could be the cheat code.
Chiefs insiders are whispering that the coaching staff is “almost begging” Smith to seize the moment. Training camp reports highlighted his contact balance and elusiveness, with Nagy himself praising his potential in screen games and empty-backfield sets. “He’s got that receiver burst,” one scout told ESPN earlier this year. “Put him behind this line on a stretch play, and defenses won’t know what hit ’em.” Through the preseason, Smith flashed with a 10-yard scamper and a handful of catches, earning reps on special teams as a returner too—vital with the NFL’s new kickoff rules pushing touchbacks to the 35. Now, with the regular season teetering, Reid and Nagy are reportedly scheming ways to get him 8-10 touches against their next foe. It’s not a coronation yet, but it’s close: if Smith “gets hot,” as Nagy puts it, he could vault straight into the starting mix, spelling Pacheco and injecting life into a moribund unit.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Kansas City entered 2025 as the team to beat, with Mahomes in his prime and a defense still anchored by Chris Jones and company. But an anemic run game risks unraveling it all—forcing Mahomes into hero ball every snap, wearing down the O-line, and inviting defenses to tee off. Fans are stunned, yes, but there’s a flicker of hope in Smith’s sneakers. If the rookie can harness that speed to mask his green vision, turning those nine long runs into a team-wide explosion, the Chiefs could right the ship. Otherwise, this dynasty’s grip on the AFC throne might slip faster than a fumbled handoff.
Chiefs Kingdom, hold your breath. Brashard Smith might just be the spark that reignites the fire—or the reminder of what could have been.