Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt showed the entire NFL what he is capable of with a coming out party of epic proportions.
A lot of “experts” where down on the 2017 draft class of the Kansas City Chiefs because it didn’t help this season. They drafted projects like Patrick Mahomes and Tanoh Kpassagnon who aren’t expected to do much until 2018. Those experts were WRONG!
We all love Spencer Ware and we all hate his injury. We can’t wait until he comes back next year, but it may be the best thing to happen to the team in 2017. His injury meant that Kareem Hunt didn’t have to split carries; he is the feature back. Tonight, Hunt proved what I’ve said since he was drafted, he is the best running back on the Kansas City Chiefs.
What happened tonight is what should have happened from the day Hunt was drafted. He was the feature back who got the vast majority of the touches. He had 17 carries for 148 yards and one touchdown. For those Jamaal Charles fans, that is an average of 8.7 yards per carry, more than any game in Charles career. He added five catches for 98 yards and two more touchdowns. That’s a total of 246 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. For those who like these things, that set a record for most total yards by a running back in their debut. He’s played one game and already setting records.
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Hunt showed speed when he hauled in a 78-yard touchdown catch and run to take the lead in the fourth quarter. He showed his power when he blew through a linebacker’s tackle attempt on his 4-yard touchdown run in the fourth. When the Chiefs needed to put the game away, Hunt was the man with the ball in his hands moving the pile and getting the first down to put the nail in the Patriots’ coffin.
The rest of the Chiefs rookie class was quiet tonight. Kpassagnon and Jehu Chesson did basically nothing and, of course, Mahomes didn’t play. Alex Smith played a fantastic game and if he plays like that the rest of this year, then Mahomes will not see the field outside of mop-up duty. Ukeme Eligwe had a solid stuff on a kickoff return after the Chiefs final touchdown. So most of the draft class was very quiet, but Hunt was loud enough for all of them.
I will caution that this is just one game, and while I’m as excited for Hunt as any Chiefs rookie since Charles, we need to take pause. Hunt came into today as an unknown and a surprise to the Patriots and the rest of the league. I’m watching NFL Network post-game coverage right now and they can’t stop talking about how much of a surprise Hunt was. This means he is no longer a surprise. Starting with the Philadelphia Eagles in week two, teams will be game planning to stop Hunt. It’s how he and Andy adjust to these adjustments that will decide how great this offense can be in 2017.
If Hunt can adjust to the defenses and continue even 75% of this performance, then this offense has the ability to be great. Smith proved he can make the throws when Reid allows them. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill showed they are great options that demand attention from the defense. The missing link last season was the running game that teams had to respect. They now not only have to respect the running game, but they have to respect Hunt out of the backfield. If Smith can be as accurate as he was today and defenses have minimum three weapons to cover, this offense can be deadly.
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Kareem Hunt is legit. I don’t mean he’s legit like Ware, in that he’s a decent back who can be relied upon to not screw up. No, Hunt is legit as in he can be the NFL’s rookie of the year and lead this offense to places they haven’t been since the days of Priest Holmes. It may only be one game and people always say not to overreact to one game, but come on man, that was one hell of a one game!