The Chiefs most likely found their next great running back in Kareem Hunt who finished his rookie season leading the NFL in rushing yards.
All of Chiefs Kingdom lost something last offseason when running back Jamaal Charles was released. The franchise’s all-time leading rusher with 7,260 yards on the ground left fans reliving great memories since he was drafted in 2008. However, after dealing with numerous knee injuries, the club felt that he was not going to be healthy enough to continue playing at a high level and that it was time to move on.
It wasn’t long before the Chiefs drafted rookie running back Kareem Hunt in the 2017 NFL Draft a few months later. The third-round pick out of Toledo was a mystery to most, including myself. When you turned on the tape, he was impressive to watch. Fans grew excited about the new back as camp came around and then preseason. His abilities were phenomenal. Hunt showed great balance and almost never went down on the first hit. Armed with a great vision to find holes, he often used a jump-cut to get through the tight spaces, and his agility for his size was impressive.
The expectation for Hunt coming into 2017 was to back up lead back Spencer Ware at the beginning of the season, although most thought he would be running the show by midseason. An preseason injury to Ware, however, left Hunt getting the starting job in week 1 against the former Super Bowl champs.
The Reality
The first snap of the rookie’s career was heartbreaking when he fumbled and gave the ball right back to New England. The short-lived scare was replaced by an electrifying night by the young rookie who totaled 246 all-purpose yards and 3 touchdowns. His ability to forget about that fumble and finish with that great of a game was extraordinary.
Hunt finished the season without another turnover and led the league in rushing yards with 1,327. It was clear that the Chiefs offense relied on the production of Hunt. It was most noticeable during the team’s midseason collapse. Including the playoffs, when Hunt averaged only 12.14 carries in the Chiefs seven losses in 2017. In the 10 wins for Kansas City, he averaged 19.8 carries per game, including the one carry he had in week 17.
Out of the six games that Hunt had 11 or fewer carries, the Chiefs went 1-5—the lone win being Week 17 against the Broncos when he had one carry. There’s no doubt that the Kansas City offense revolved around the production of Hunt and failed to win games when he came up short of 15 carries.
Hunt’s threat from the backfield opened up the offense for quarterback Alex Smith. Safeties and linebackers cheating on Hunt were caught off guard and unable to cover guys like tight end Travis Kelce and wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Hunt’s ability to make plays on the ground and in the air caught the NFL by surprise. Setting an NFL rookie record for seven consecutive games of 100 all-purpose yards. He was third in the NFL in scrimmage yards with 1,782 yards, an average of 111.4 yards per game. Hunt tied 1st for most runs over 20 yards with 12, only other back being LeSean McCoy.
Charcandrick West continued his role as a third-down back and some specific downs here and there. His pass blocking and catching out of the backfield gave Hunt a chance to get a breath on the sidelines. He finished the season with more receiving yards (150) than rushing (72).
West would have been the third back in the lineup if Ware hadn’t been hurt in the preseason. He spent most of training camp battling with veteran running back C.J. Spiller for the last spot on the running back depth chart. The once dependable back in 2015 has become nothing more than an extra pass blocker or check down.
Akeem Hunt joined the squad as the third back on the roster after the regular season started. He had only 8 rushing attempts totaling 23 yards. The former Texans running back saw some time on special teams as well but had very little flash in the return game as well. Akeem Hunt most likely will not return to the Chiefs in 2018.
Next: Why Aqib Talib is perfect for Chiefs
Lessons learned
With Spencer Ware being hurt early on, the Chiefs got a full season of getting to know Kareem Hunt. Leading the league in rushing yards in his rookie year leaves no doubt that he will be the starter in 2018. The Chiefs are known for having great running backs and Hunt is shaping up to be the next one up. I still think that Ware can be a punishing running back that will compliment Hunt well if he can come back from this injury strong.
I was excited about the combo before the 2017 season started but find myself even more excited now. Ware was a solid back for the Chiefs before his injuries in 2016. Many fans have forgotten what he did in the first half of that season and have already moved on but I’m ready to see this two-headed monster in 2018. If we learned anything from 2017 though, it’s no matter who is calling the plays, they have to give Hunt the ball minimum 15 times if they want to win.