The Kansas City Chiefs backfield is incredibly thin after bell-cow running back Isiah Pacheco fractured his fibula in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

With Pacheco veteran back Samaje Perine and undrafted rookie Carson Steele are Kansas City’s only healthy running backs.

Perine signed with the Chiefs in late August and hasn’t received a carry through two games, while Steele has nine in all, including seven against the Bengals for 24 yards and one lost fumble.

Although Steele’s fumble could have been costly, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid doesn’t think the turnover will turn into a trend. Reid anticipates Steele having a key role while Pacheco is sidelined.

“Well, he’s going to have to step it up there in that role,” Reid said, I think he likes to be challenged — and I think this will be a good challenge for him. He’s obviously [got to] keep the ball high and tight. He had the fumble yesterday — [although] he doesn’t have a history of that — so he’s got to make sure he learns from that.”

Steele led the Chiefs in rushing during the preseason with 87 yards, 7.9 yards per carry with two touchdowns. While it was a feat alone making the 53-man roster as an undrafted free agent, it’ll be an even more incredible story if the UCLA prospect becomes Kansas City’s RB1 with Pacheco out.

Part of why Steele has defied the odds and has found a home with the Chiefs is he strives to be a multi-faceted back who can do anything that’s asked of him. Steele will be asked to run, catch and block in Kansas City’s offensive scheme.

“My main goal was trying to be like a Swiss Army knife, a do-it-all type of deal and wherever they need to put me in is where I can get in,” Steele said in August, per ESPN. “Being able to block, especially catch out of the backfield too, not only just being able to run.”

Steele’s debut as starting running back could come this Sunday against an Atlanta Falcons team that went on the road and beat the Philadelphia Eagles 22-21 on “Monday Night Football.'”

Although the Falcons won, they gave up 95 yards to running back Saquon Barkley and 85 yards to quarterback Jalen Hurts. Chiefs vs. Falcons could be a matchup that allows Steele to hit the ground running.

More must-reads:

‘MNF’ takeaways: Falcons, Kirk Cousins silence doubters with shocking comeback

Giants’ Daniel Jones responds to ESPN report about possible benching

Hours before the New York Giants fell to 0-2 on the season via Sunday’s frustrating 21-18 loss at the division-rival Washington Commanders (1-1), ESPN’s Adam Schefter became the latest NFL insider to mention that the Giants could consider benching quarterback Daniel Jones to ensure the injury guarantee for 2025 reportedly worth $23M attached to Jones’ contract doesn’t become fully guaranteed because of a serious physical setback. Jones was asked about Schefter’s story following Sunday’s defeat. “To be honest, this is the first I’ve heard about the report and I’ll let the team handle that,” Jones explained, as shared by the Giants’ official website. “I don’t concern myself with what comes out and will leave that up to the team to handle. My job is to play good football and help us come out with a win.”

It’s been known for some time that the Giants could escape the four-year contract Jones signed in March 2023 as soon as next offseason assuming he can pass a physical at that time. He has dealt with two different neck-related issues since the start of the 2021 campaign, and he is still shaking off rust he accumulated after he suffered a torn ACL on Nov. 5 of last year. Back in July, Giants general manager Joe Schoen neither confirmed nor denied that head coach Brian Daboll could sit Jones before Week 18 so that the club could part ways with the 2019 first-round draft pick in March 2025. That was before Jones produced an awful showing in the season-opening 28-6 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8 and before he looked better against the Commanders.

In total, Jones completed 16-of-28 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 32 rushing yards on five carries versus Washington. One could argue he would’ve earned his first win of the campaign had Daboll handled the statuses of placekickers Graham Gano and Jude McAtamney differently and/or had rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers not committed a costly drop in the fourth quarter of the contest. Despite the Giants’ woes, Jones remains on track to start over primary backup Drew Lock and fan-favorite Tommy DeVito when Big Blue plays at the Cleveland Browns (1-1) this coming Sunday. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Giants as seven-point underdogs against the Browns.

Analyst makes surprising pick for 2024-25 NBA MVP

Michael Jordan knew Scottie Pippen would be criticized for refusing to enter 1994 Bulls-Knicks playoff game: ‘That’s the…

Red Sox Breakout Star Making It Hard For Team To Not Pay Him $90 Million

The Boston Red Sox certainly won their offseason trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. Boston acquired outfielder Tyler O’Neill from St. Louis, and he has been one of the team’s most important offensive players this season. The 29-year-old spent the first six seasons of his career with St. Louis and showed plenty of potential, but injuries negatively impacted his time there. O’Neill finished eighth in the National League Most Valuable Player voting in 2021 and won two Gold Glove Awards, but played over 100 games just once. This year with Boston, he has been a revelation. He has been relatively healthy and has played in 105 games already. Over that stretch, he has launched 31 home runs, driven in 61 RBIs, clubbed 18 doubles, and has played some stellar defense in the outfield.

When the Red Sox acquired O’Neill, they knew he would enter free agency this upcoming winter. They knew it could be a short-term partnership, but he is doing everything possible to make the Red Sox front office consider keeping him around longer. Boston has a surplus of capable outfielders on the current roster as well as in the minor leagues, but 30-plus home run pop with Gold Glove-caliber defense doesn’t come around very often. If the Red Sox were to keep him, it would be expensive, though. Spotrac currently is projecting him to receive a contract in the neighborhood of five seasons and $90 million. The Red Sox certainly can afford that, but they likely will have to make another move if they want to keep O’Neill around for the long term. Boston’s outfield options consist of Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, O’Neill, and Roman Anthony in the minors. Boston also has Masataka Yoshida, but it hasn’t played him in the outfield this year. A long-term deal for O’Neill likely would mean that the Red Sox would trade someone else. They will have some tough decisions to make this winter for sure.

Sherrone Moore’s new contract with Michigan contains notable clause

Could Penn State Football Lose James Franklin to the Florida Gators?

James Franklin to Florida? Clickbait? Not exactly. Head coach James Franklin has consistently outperformed expectations at Penn State, and the Florida Gators would be lucky to have him. As reports begin to swirl that Florida could be primed to move on from embattled head coach Billy Napier amid a dreadful 1-2 start, expect the Franklin rumor mill to begin churning anew. Why James Franklin Remains a Top Candidate for Top Jobs Since 2014, Franklin’s recruiting classes have averaged 15th nationally, yet Penn State’s average national ranking has been 9.5. Franklin’s ability to rank higher than his recruiting classes suggests he’s a top-10 coach. He also ranks 3rd among active coaches for the most 10-win seasons over the last decade. While Franklin has struggled in big games, it’s worth noting he was never favored. Still, he’s built a clean, winning program, ranking top five in NFL draft picks over his tenure. Would Franklin leave? Probably not. With new additions like Allen and Kotelnicki, it feels like things are finally coming together for Penn State. If Franklin makes the playoffs, he’ll be highly sought after, but for now, he’s staying in Happy Valley while the Gators navigate troubled waters.

Report: Fan-favorite big man agrees to deal with Turkish club

Former All-Star has completely turned his season around despite playing with pitiful White Sox

Break up the Chicago White Sox. The historically bad 2024 Pale Hose have all of a sudden won three games in a row following their 8-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. Chicago is still just 36-115 on the year, has already set a single-season franchise record for losses and is six defeats away from breaking the 1962 New York Mets’ all-time mark of 120 setbacks in a campaign. While most of the White Sox batters have struggled mightily all season long, one-time All-Star outfielder Andrew Benintendi has hit a power surge in recent weeks.

What makes Benintendi’s hot streak so curious is that he had been having a historically poor year at the plate over the first two months of the season. In late May, “Benny” was threatening to finish his second season on the South Side by posting the worst OPS among qualified players since 1968. After an 0-for-4 showing during Chicago’s 7-2 loss vs. the Toronto Blue Jay on May 29, Benintendi was slashing .189/.226/.265 and had a .491 OPS. Benintendi ranked second on the White Sox in at-bats (185) and plate appearances (195), but sixth in runs scored (12), walks (nine) and total bases (49) at the time, and his OPS and slash line were last on the team as well. As the rest of the offense has had trouble with consistency (to put it lightly), the 2015 seventh overall pick has turned his season around. His triple slash and OPS have only increased since the end of May and while none of the numbers are pretty overall, his current .228/.292/.400 slash line and .691 OPS are all season highs. Benintendi went 2-for-3 with two home runs, four RBI and two walks on Monday in one of his best games of the year. It was the 30-year-old’s third two-home run contest of 2024 and just the sixth time he’s drawn two walks this season.

Benintendi now leads the White Sox in home runs (19) and is second in runs scored (48), RBI (59), walks (40) and total bases (177). He finished August with seven home runs, 17 RBI and a solid .278/.363/.589 slash line and has been even better through 14 games in September with four home runs, 11 RBI and a .298/.370/.575 triple slash. A 2022 All-Star, Benintendi is closing 2024 strong and reminding fans that even when watching a terrible team, there are still reasons to tune in.