KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs are entering unfamiliar territory without running back Isiah Pacheco, who suffered a leg injury late in Sunday’s game and will likely go to the injured list. He has been their best runner the past two seasons and was on pace to post the first 1,000-yard season of his career after two games.

Pacheco received or threw the ball 24 times in Sunday’s 26-25 win over the Cincinnati Bengals before leaving the field due to injury.

Coach Andy Reid likes to think the Chiefs have another running back capable of handling such a heavy workload in his absence, but he acknowledged he’s not sure between his two options, undrafted rookie Carson Steele and recently signed veteran Samaje Perine.

“I would say I have confidence in them,” Reid said. “I just haven’t experienced it with them yet.”

Reid said the Chiefs plan to play with the running backs they currently have, but added that general manager Brett Veach is “going through his lists and looking at guys and we’ll see where that goes, but we’re happy to have some good guys here.”

Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick in 2020 and their best runner this season, is on the injured list and will not be available until Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints.

The Chiefs also have two running backs, Keaontay Ingram and Emani Bailey, on their practice squad. Ingram ran 62 times for 134 yards and caught eight passes in 20 games over the past two seasons for the Arizona Cardinals. Bailey, like Steele, is an undrafted rookie.

Despite his inexperience, Steele is the most logical choice for most of Pacheco’s role. He has nine carries for 27 yards this season.

“He needs to improve there and in that role, but I think he likes challenges and I think this will be a good challenge for him,” Reid said.

Steele lost a fumble late in the first half on Sunday, leading to a Bengals field goal, but he has also been an effective short-yardage runner for the Chiefs, something they have lacked in recent seasons.

The Chiefs gave Steele the ball four times on Sunday when they needed a yard or two for a first down. He made the yards each time, including twice on fourth down.

He came to the Chiefs as an unlikely candidate since they already had Pacheco and Edwards-Helaire, but he impressed immediately.

“His assignments in OTAs were pretty clear,” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said. “He knew what he was doing (and) he knew where he was going. You never know how he’s going to do until you put the pads on.”

“He took it to training camp, put on the pads and made some nice plays. A spectacular play here and there definitely helps, but he has to be consistent throughout periods of play and series of drives. I think he’s done that.”

Perine, 29, is in his eighth NFL season and with his fifth team. The Chiefs signed him this year after he was released by the Denver Broncos.

“It just feels like another place where I can hopefully contribute,” Perine said.

Perine has had more than 25 touches in a game twice in his career. He had 27 touches in 2017 when he was with Washington and again in 2022 when he was with Cincinnati in a game against the Chiefs.

In recent seasons, however, his better performance has been primarily as a pass receiver. Last season with the Broncos, Perine had almost as many pass catches (50) as he did rushing attempts (53).

“Perine has always been a really good defender, a third-down back as well as a first or second down back,” Reid said, “but someone you really feel comfortable with on third down with all the crazy blitzes that go on there.”

The Chiefs visit the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 for “Sunday Night Football” (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC).