The Kansas City Chiefs running back knows how to contribute to wins and is ‘having some fun” at the same time
A touchdown is only worth 6 points, but Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco is earning some extra for his celebration style.
Pacheco, 24, is known for busting out dance moves in the end zone each time he scores a touchdown for the team.
When asked by PEOPLE during Wednesday’s Super Bowl LVIII press conference in Las Vegas where he gets his moves from, Pacheco told reporters it’s “always the kids” who inspire him, specifically referencing his nieces.
“Every time I get the opportunity to go back home I see them on TikTok over there in the corner going crazy so I’m over there dancing with them, trying to learn a little bit of their moves,” explains the New Jersey native who went from Rutgers University to a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Most recently, Pacheco — who’s famously known by “Pop” to fans — put his moves on full display after he scored a touchdown for the Chiefs against the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 28, a big contribution to the team’s second-consecutive AFC Championship victory.
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After muscling his way into the end zone on a 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, the second-year running back celebrated his touchdown with moves that resembled the “Chicken Dance” — but with a Pacheco twist!
Though those moves don’t appear to directly derive from a specific TikTok trend on the app, they could very well be original choreography from Pacheco’s nieces. “They say ‘Oh Uncle Pop learn that from us!’ ” he says of what his nieces tell him after they watch him in games.
Pacheco’s mindset before he breaks it down? “Just go out there and having some fun,” he says.
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When PEOPLE asked whether fans can expect to see some of those dance moves on Sunday when the Chiefs go head-to-head against the San Fransisco 49ers at the Super Bowl, the NFL star replied without hesitation: “Yes, yes! Absolutely!”
Pacheco isn’t the only one on the team who’s having fun with family. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes told reporters during Tuesday’s Super Bowl presser about how he makes time for his two kids who he shares with his wife Brittany Mahomes.
“Yeah, I always FaceTime them whenever I’m not with them and talk to them throughout the day. Bronze is running around now, starting to walk,” Mahomes replied when asked by PEOPLE if he’s able to communicate with his daughter Sterling Skye, 2, and son Patrick Bronze Lavon III, 14 months, during Super Bowl Week.
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“Sterling’s loving it, being able to be on vacation and everything like that. So hopefully I’ll get to see them throughout the week when I get some free time but it’s always great when I get to talk to them,” he added.
Later in the press conference, he revealed that his entire family was already in Las Vegas for the big game. “They are already here and I’m hopefully going to get over there maybe today or tomorrow and see them,” he said.
“It’s always great to have them there with me and Sterling’s running the household, running the house and seeing every single room in there.”
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