It’s not every day that you get a chance to play in a Super Bowl. So, oftentimes, players will play through injuries to have a chance at competing on one of the world’s biggest stages. Patrick Mahomes played on a bum ankle, while Lane Johnson played through a serious groin injury.
However, a player is rarely going to play through not one, but two significant injuries. And that’s why what Isiah Pacheco managed to play through in the Super Bowl is an incredible sign of toughness. According to Kristian Dyer of USA Today’s Rutgers Wire, Pacheco played in Super Bowl LVII with a broken hand and torn labrum.
Dyer reports that Pacheco broke the bone between the wrist and thumb in one of his hands during the AFC Championship Game. He had already played through the torn labrum through most of the season. He underwent surgery to repair the broken bone just a week after the Super Bowl Win.
Playing through injury, Pacheco had 15 carries for 76 yards with a rushing touchdown in Kansas City’s 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The NFL world reacted to the insane sign of toughness on social media:
I have a partial labrum tear and it has taken 8 weeks to be able to do an overhead press at 1/2 strength again. I cant imagine going through an NFL season like that. https://t.co/4FYe2zTiib
— NY_KIA31#GAMETIME (@ny_kia31_sports) May 7, 2023
Warrior. I have three breaks in two fingers now and wince when I tie my shoes! https://t.co/PafQwnmgrQ
— Twice Adopted (@caripemberton) May 7, 2023
This is crazy. Isiah Pacheco, already with a torn labrum, broke his hand in the AFC Championship Game yet still snagged five of six targets and played in the Super Bowl two weeks later, scoring a touchdown and absorbing big hits. So freaking tough!
#ChiefsKingdom https://t.co/vkrniNCRMg — Let’s Chat Chiefs (@LetsChatChiefs) May 7, 2023
They also found a Rottweiler inside Pacheco’s rib cage while taking X-rays. https://t.co/5wkIooV1xb
— Adam Best (@Arrowhead_Adam) May 7, 2023
I had surgery on my hand/finger a month ago and the therapy to just get basic skills back has been tough. That is sheer grit to play with a broken hand. https://t.co/PXnqdr089M
— Ciara Harper (@CiaraLHarper) May 7, 2023
NFL players are crazy, man. https://t.co/0IooIW4ZfD
— Conner Christopherson (@Conner_DKC) May 7, 2023
Crazy thing is… I wouldn’t have even known. He’s one tough son of a gun!! https://t.co/dJDAZzoiaT
— Lexi (@lexiosborne) May 7, 2023
Oh wow https://t.co/CzKNNpH0by
— how bout those CHIEFS (@hbtCHIEFS) May 7, 2023
Isiah Pacheco took some hits in the Super Bowl too, and he kept coming back for more. So tough
https://t.co/ao1403GP0t — Let’s Chat Chiefs (@LetsChatChiefs) May 7, 2023
Pacheco, who was drafted in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Rutgers, emerged as one of the Chiefs’ leading rushers last season. In 17 games, Pacheco had 170 carries for 830 yards with five rushing touchdowns. He finished 10th in the AP’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award voting.
[Kristian Dyer on Twitter, Rutgers Wire]