Here’s what changed for KC Chiefs’ run game vs. Packers. Will the effort affect cuts?

Coach Andy Reid stepped to the dais following the Chiefs’ 17-10 preseason victory over the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night and labeled it a mostly successful evening.

In particular, he was grateful for three things:

1. The Chiefs had been able to evaluate their young players;

2. The team had escaped relatively healthy;

3. The offense finally succeeded in an area where it had labored recently.

“We were able to get the run game going a little bit,” Reid said, “which we needed to do coming off the last two games.”

The last point was especially vital for the chiefs, given some of the concerns from preseason Weeks 1 and 2.

Though their first-string offense looked great through the air in preseason games against Chicago and Washington, it mainly struggled on the ground; in those two combined contests, the Chiefs rushed 43 times for a combined 115 yards.

The raw numbers Thursday illustrated vast improvement. The Chiefs had 27 carries for 102 yards against Green Bay, with most of those coming from their power backs.

That included Ronald Jones, who had been shuffled to the back of the depth chart the last few weeks. He was the second KC player to receive a carry Thursday, finishing with eight carries for 43 yards.

Jones’ first-half totes Thursday were his only opportunity to work with the first-string offensive line this preseason.

“I thought RoJo ran hard,” Reid said. “He had good vision.”

Isiah Pacheco — the Chiefs’ seventh-round draft pick — also received his greatest volume of work, leading the team with 10 carries and 52 yards.

Reid said many of the positive qualities he saw from Jones also applied to Pacheco’s night.

“This is without watching the tape, but I thought he ran hard,” Reid said. “I thought both of those guys ... they’re big men, and they play big. They weren’t shying away from anything.”

Jones’ opening run of the first quarter appeared to set the tone for his night.

After getting met at the Chiefs’ 49, Jones kept his feet moving through contact while delivering a hit on Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, knocking him backward five yards to gain nine in all.

The counter play also showed additional run-game variety in the playbook from previous weeks. The Chiefs pulled more linemen than they had in their earlier games, adding some physicality while limiting the number of gaps their running backs had to read.

That formula worked well multiple times for the Chiefs on Thursday: Get the first-team maulers up front on the move to clear out space, then let the big backs get straight upfield in a scenario where their power played best.

Chiefs receiver Daurice Fountain, for one, was impressed with what he saw from Jones. Fountain has known Jones for a long time. The two first met while going through rookie activities ahead of the 2018 NFL Draft.

“RoJo’s always been an explosive runner, now. Like we’re talking about from the USC days. I don’t expect anything less,” Fountain said. “When he’s got the ball, I’m like, ‘Look, go ahead. Do your thing, man.’”

Will Thursday’s effort be enough to solidify Jones a spot with the Chiefs? That will loom as a question the next few days, as the Chiefs are required to trim their roster to 53 by Tuesday.

Some of that decision could depend on roster management. The Chiefs will likely keep three or four running backs (not including fullback Michael Burton), with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon and Pacheco seeming like locks.

Derrick Gore was just placed on injured reserve, though. Tight end Blake Bell also recently had hip surgery, which could leave things open for another back on the roster.

This much seems clear: Jones provided his best case for sticking with the Chiefs during Thursday night’s preseason finale.

“I didn’t think he did anything to hurt himself in our eyes or whatever happens to him down the road here,” Reid said. “But I thought he did a nice job for us.”