Chiefs vs. Jets: Charcandrick West, Dee Ford will sit out game
By Matt Conner
The Kansas City Chiefs will be thin at running back when they take on the New York Jets on Sunday with the news that Charcandrick West will sit out.
The good news, it’s all on Kareem Hunt on Sunday. The bad news, it’s all on Kareem Hunt on Sunday.
When the Kansas City Chiefs suit up to visit the New York Jets in Week 13, the offense will be quite thin at running back with the news that Charcandrick West will be forced to miss the game due to personal reasons.
The Chiefs are already without Spencer Ware, who is on injured reserve, and must now move forward with two players named “Hunt.”
The Kansas City Chiefs will be thin at running back when they take on the New York Jets on Sunday with the news that Charcandrick West will sit out.
Andy Reid says Dee Ford (back, Eric Murray (ankle) and Charcandrick West (personal reasons) will not play Sunday vs the Jets.
— RIP Terez A. Paylor (@TerezPaylor) December 1, 2017
West has served an important role for the Chiefs so far this season as the team’s primary back-up running back. He’s experienced and knows the playbook well. He serves as the scatback option often coming in on third downs and to spell Kareem Hunt. He’s also toyed with returns and can be counted on to play solidly on special teams.
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Now without West on Sunday, the team will have to fill in several smaller holes against the Jets in a game in which any of those little issues can make the difference in a win or loss. After all, it’s not as if the Chiefs should even be expected to win given their current slide, so these smaller problems now become major concerns.
Akeem Hunt is the primary back-up to Kareem Hunt, but the former Texans running back is best served as a kick returner and nothing more. He’s had 3 rushes for -4 yards (yes, that is negative four yards) on the year and two total catches for seven yards. In other words, the lesser Hunt is not exactly the sort of offensive weapon you want to include in any game plan.
It’s a bit surprising the Chiefs didn’t try to bolster the position with even a temporary signing of C.J. Spiller (yes, again) to provide something behind Kareem Hunt heading into this game. However given the expected workload, this could be the week that Hunt’s numbers again become headline-worthy. The Jets will expect as much, however, and force Alex Smith to beat them over the top. Whether the Chiefs can make due, only time will tell.