KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. He also covers the Chiefs on game days as our digital reporter. Share your story idea with Tod.
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Running back Isiah Pacheco returns to the Kansas City Chiefs’ backfield from a three-game absence for a Thanksgiving showdown against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The Chiefs (6-5) aim to continue building momentum toward improving their playoff hopes on a short week. It’s the team’s first Thanksgiving Day game since hosting Denver during the 2006 season.
Pacheco suffered a knee injury late in Kansas City’s win against Washington on Monday Night Football last month.
He led the Chiefs with 12 carries for 58 yards against the Commanders and was the team’s leading rusher at the time he got hurt.
Pacheco, who has 78 carries for 329 yards rushing plus 11 catches for 43 yards receiving with two total touchdowns in eight games this season, missed Kansas City’s losses at Buffalo and Denver on either side of the bye week and also sat out last week’s overtime win against Indianapolis.
Kareem Hunt shouldered the workload with Pacheco out, scoring a touchdown in all three games.
Hunt, who won AFC Offensive Player of the Week after racking up a career-high 30 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown with three catches for 26 yards against the Colts, tied or reset his season-high for rushing in each game Pacheco missed.
The three Chiefs who were injured against Indy — right guard Trey Smith (ankle), tight end Noah Gray (concussion) and cornerback Chris Roland-Wallace (back) — are inactive along with veteran cornerback Kristian Fulton, wide receiver Jalen Royals, running back Elijah Mitchell and offensive lineman Esa Pole.
Our inactives for today's Thanksgiving game against the Cowboys ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/TluXRnEOol
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) November 27, 2025
Fulton played in the first two games of the season then missed two months with an ankle injury before returning against the Broncos and Colts after the bye, but Joshua Williams returns to the active game-day roster in Dallas.
Smith, Gray and Roland-Wallace were ruled out on the final Week 13 injury report. No other Kansas City players carried an injury designation into Thursday’s game.
Backup interior offensive lineman Mike Caliendo will step in for Smith.
Meanwhile, Gray’s absence means tight end Jared Wiley, who suffered a season-ending torn ACL last year and has been inactive every game this season, will make his 2025 debut.
The Chiefs elevated safety Mike Edwards and Pole from the practice squad Wednesday ahead of their game with the Cowboys, who ruled out starting left tackle Tyler Guyton (ankle) before the game and listed cornerback Caelen Carson (hamstring) as questionable.
Carson and Guyton are inactive for Dallas along with running back Jaydon Blue, wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, and defensive tackles Jay Toia and Perrion Winfrey.
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