There have been plenty of high profile injuries for the Kansas City Chiefs so far this season. Some of these injuries have worked out in the Chiefs favor.
Before the season started, the Kansas City Chiefs felt comfortable with the talent they projected to be on the field.
So far this season, numerous player of high talent have been sidelined for the season.
Here we will focus on the replacements of some of those who have had season ending injuries.
Let’s start with the rookie phenom.
Kareem Hunt > Spencer Ware
Before the season started, Kareem Hunt was set to be the back up to Spencer Ware.
Typing that sentence out seems might silly at this point.
Through eight weeks Kareem Hunt leads the league in rushing. He has 763 yards through eight games, with 48 fewer attempts than second place. LeVeon Bell has 760 yards.
Much to the delight of the Chiefs faithful, Kareem Hunt is the present and future for the Chiefs running game.
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Running behind an inconsistent and injury laden offensive line, Hunt has proved his worth.
He has been a force catching the ball as well. Hunt also leads the league in yards from scrimmage with 1070. That’s 91 total yards more than second place LeVeon Bell.
Even though Hunt was held in check during his latest game, the rest of the season could find Hunt racking up more records and awards than any rookie running back in history.
Harrison Butker > Cairo Santos
When Cairo Santos went down, there was an uneasiness about how the kicking game was going to play out. Especially if the offense reverted to stalling in the red zone like it did in 2016. And it has.
Chiefs fans everywhere started googling Harrison Butker. A resounding “who?” could be heard around the Kingdom when the Kansas City Chiefs signed him off the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers.
In Butker’s first game for the Chiefs, he missed his first field goal attempt. Much like Hunt and his first carry resulting in a fumble.
Again, like Hunt, Harrison Butker has not looked back since.
He has racked up 18 straight made field goals, which is well beyond early expectations.
Without his accuracy on field goal attempts, the Chiefs record would be quite different from where it is currently.
In the three wins since he arrived, his field goals have been the difference. From the game winner against the Washington Redskins, to the five he made against both Houston and Denver, Butker has been the Chiefs MVP.
Butker has been another rookie outperforming his expectations by universal proportions.
After his week 8 performance against the Broncos, he was selected as the AFC Player of the Week.
The circumstances that have been bestowed on the Chiefs this season have been a series of events just falling into place.
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There have been injuries the Chiefs haven’t been able to overcome as well, such as Eric Berry, Chris Conley, and the multiple wounds suffered by the offensive line.
Leading the division by three games, and the personal success multiple players are having so far, has made for exciting times in Kansas City.