Can Kareem Hunt duplicate the success of his rookie season?

Can Kareem Hunt come up with another stellar season for the Chiefs or will they see a bit of a drop off of such a strong rookie campaign?

There is no question that the Kansas City Chiefs have emphasized the passing game this offseason. With the addition of Sammy Watkins, the Chiefs offense is gearing up to spread teams out and throw all over the field.

With Patrick Mahomes replacing former quarterback Alex Smith, there will be a shift in offensive styles. With Smith, there was an emphasis on protecting the football and executing pre-snap reads. Mahomes opens up an offense to stretch the field. With the newly acquired Watkins on the outside across from Tyreek Hill, there is a very good chance that the Chiefs offense will gain big yards through the air.

However, with Watkins, Tyreek Hill, and Kelce lined up to catch passes, where does that leave the running game Anyone that follows the NFL knows the success the Chiefs had with Kareem Hunt last season. Hunt won the NFL rushing title over Le’Veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers with 1,327 rushing yards. His ability to break tackles and push the pile made him a force to be reckoned with.

Like a traditional NFL offense, the Chiefs’ run game set up the pass. However, this season could see a change. It seems as though the offensive philosophy will shift toward passing to set up the run. With that change, the Chiefs have also added more depth at running back this season.

The case for continued dominance

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Mahomes will throw the ball frequently, especially in an Andy Reid offense. However, this could work to Kareem Hunt’s advantage. With Watkins in the fold with a quarterback that loves to throw the deep ball, the Chiefs will almost undoubtedly give Hunt fewer carries than last season.

Despite this, Hunt could still see plenty of space to run. With the shift to a spread offense, Hunt may see a spike in his yards per carry. Furthermore, lining up in the backfield in a spread offense could increase his receiving yards due to the increase in passing plays and in particular, screen passes.

While Hunt may not dominate in the hard-nosed fashion that he did last season, he may still wreak havoc on run defenses that look to contain the passing game. Hunt is a dominant player and I believe we will get a chance to see how versatile he can be in a new offense next season.

The case against continued dominance

Reid has been known to forget about his running game. With a quarterback with a lot of arm talent, we may see this trend worsen. While I am not opposed to seeing a lot of passing attempts from Mahomes, I do believe that the Chiefs have a great running back to use in short yardage situations. However, Kelce, Hill, and Watkins will look to get as many touches as possible, and rightfully so.

The Chiefs will look to move the ball through the air, and it is reasonable to believe that Kareem Hunt will simply not receive the amount of touches that it will take to be dominant. For the offense’s sake, I hope they do not forget to use Kareem Hunt. I hope that with Eric Bienemy’s newfound influence as offensive coordinator, Reid will not decide to only use the passing game to move the ball down the field.

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