Kareem Hunt finally got a big game for the Kansas City Chiefs

After starting off the season with his cleats on fire, Kareem Hunt was slowed down by the Chiefs playcalling and lack of offensive line blocks. That was not the case on Sunday afternoon.

It was the game all of us were waiting to see, including Kareem Hunt himself.

The Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back finally had another big game on Sunday afternoon against the Oakland Raiders, ending the game with 25 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown.

Hunt, who had not enjoyed a 100-yard rushing game since week 5 against the Houston Texans, finally caught a break. This was also the first time since week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers that Hunt was able to break the end zone.  He wasn’t as dominant and fast as he was in the first few weeks of the season, most likely the toll of a full season is catching up to him, but he still made the Raiders defense pay as they continued to struggle in stopping him.

The Kansas City Chiefs tend to run the ball often when playing the Oakland Raiders. Hunt broke off 18 carries for 87 yards in the week 7 loss to the Raiders. The biggest part to take away is that Hunt has now rushed for over 1,000 yards on the season. The first rookie to rush for over 1,000 yards under head coach Andy Reid.

It’s been a very frustrating year for Chiefs fans with the roller coaster at running back. Hopes were built up with how Hunt started off the season only to come crashing down as the Chiefs failed to get him the ball enough in the second half. Leading into the game against the Raiders this week, Hunt was given the ball 11 or fewer times a game four out of the last seven games. Absolutely mind-boggling when you look at his performances weeks 1-5. In those same seven games, Hunt averaged more than four yards per carry in four of those games as well.

Hunt was leading the way for the rookie of the year MVP for the first part of the season but has since dropped off the face of the earth. This is nothing new as Reid has always been a passing first coach and has the tendency to forget about the run. However, when your passing game is lacking any kind of efficiency, there is no excuse for going away from a running back that has been lights out in his rookie season.

The last month and a half we saw an uptick in snaps for backup running back Charcandrick West but that wasn’t the case against the Raiders as West had a total of three carries in this game. Hunt was the bell cow in this game and it resulted in a great rushing attack for the Kansas City Chiefs offense.

Next: Can the Chiefs salvage their season?

The Chiefs need to get Hunt more involved if they want this offense to be a dual threat. The passing game has picked back up the last two weeks but still needs a rushing attack to keep defenses honest. It’s hard to understand for Chiefs fans who are used to dominant run games for the running backs to not get more carries. Especially while their team is struggling.