Kareem Hunt finds new ways to elevate Chiefs offense versus Broncos

Somehow, some way, the Kansas City Chiefs survived the rival Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon. A miraculous blocked field goal allowed the Chiefs to move to 9-0, as Kansas City continued to find new ways to win.

The Chiefs' defensive stand in the second half was encouraging after a tough start. The offense featured some mixed results. Overall, one aspect may have flown under the radar to keep the Chiefs' offense in it against the Broncos.

Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt provided a grinding effort in a close game that will not blow anyone away. But if you go back and look at some of Kansas City's drives, the running back won many reps with pure effort to keep things rolling. That is something that will not jump off the screen in highlight packages. Yet, Hunt found another way to help lift his team when the Chiefs needed it most.

Hunt Still Bounces Forward With No Room Available

Kareem Hunt finished the day with 35 yards on the ground with 14 total carries. That amounts to just 2.5 yards per carry. But once again, the overall numbers should not be the main takeaway. Hunt was able to get more on some carries than he probably should have, based on the room available for which to run through. That was essentially zero.

Hunt had some reps where Broncos defenders were already meeting him at or behind the line of scrimmage. In those instances, he still found a way to shake loose and get a few yards, more than what could have been expected in those moments. He was able to push further for extra yards after contact on inside carries that should have been stopped for a gain of two or three yards.

It just seemed like a large percentage of his runs were gaining a handful of more yards than what should have taken place, based on where Denver defenders were. But with that broken tackle ability, Hunt has helped keep Kansas City on schedule and ahead of the sticks. That was evident on Sunday and in his return to the Chiefs as a whole.

Hunt's Broken Tackle Ability Makes Him Unique Fit For Chiefs Offense

When Isiah Pacheco went down with a devastating injury in Week 2, there were really not many appealing options out there for Kansas City to add at running back. Many veteran running backs available offered narrow skill sets and low floors as players. But by bringing Kareem Hunt back to the team, the Chiefs were adding a unique fit to their currently constructed offensive infrastructure.

Some people may want pure speed at the running back position. Others will prefer size that forces defenders to hang on for dear life when attempting to slow them down. But for someone like Hunt, his style at this point in his career is exactly what the Chiefs needed without Pacheco. He is someone who is experienced as a veteran and in this offense. But also, Hunt is essentially a no-nonsense runner. He is simply going to work up the field and will not waste time in space.

You will see even the best runners attempt to make more out of nothing. But with this running back, Kansas City knows he will simply put his head down and attack the defense in a consistent manner. Even with the defense knowing that is the case, he simply knows how to slip and work out of tackle attempts as easy as anyone. Those numerous broken tackles on Sunday were a key difference for the Chiefs offense, once again.

Kareem Hunt, dangerous receiver

In what resulted in a modest day for the Chiefs passing offense, it was Kareem Hunt who led the way in receiving yards against the Broncos. His 65 yards narrowly topped Travis Kelce's 64 on Sunday, and Kelce's eight receptions was the only amount of receptions higher than Hunt's seven this week. If you look at his return to Kansas City, his receiving production versus Denver was far superior to any other game with the Chiefs this season.

Outside of the stats, Hunt impressed in a few different ways as a pass catcher. He was able to work back to the football on some throws that Patrick Mahomes had to rush to get out quickly. If he did not provide that effort, Kansas City would have been placed in more dire situations. On the other hand, Hunt was able to run past and away from defenders when it looked like they could have stopped him short of a first down. Finally, he was able to provide Mahomes trust in a tight game as a checkdown option. Because of that, Hunt was one of the main pieces that elevated the KC offense when they needed it in a tight division game.