Kansas City Chiefs: Kareem Hunt gets robbed at NFL awards show
By Chris Taylor
Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt led the league in rushing in 2017. Alvin Kamara ended up taking the Rookie of the Year award home.
Kareem Hunt did something only one other player had ever done in 2017. As a rookie he rushed for over 1,000 yards. The Kansas City Chiefs running back led the entire league in rushing. He broke records the first seven weeks by having over 100 scrimmage yards in each of those games. Yet, Alvin Kamara takes home the hardware.
Not to take away anything from Kamara, but you can not have a running back win an award such as this one when he isn’t the best at doing what he does. Follow me? Kamara’s numbers are striking, no doubt. Pardon me if he looks more of a flash-in-the-pan type of running back when Kareem Hunt looks like a potential Hall of Fame guy.
Kareem Hunt had to fight for his numbers this past season. The Chiefs offensive line had some injury issues, and his head coach forgot that Hunt was even on the team in some games. Three games this season Hunt had fewer than ten carries, not counting his one attempt week 17 at Denver. That one attempt was a 35 yard touchdown run.
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Alvin Kamara had 728 yards rushing on 120 attempts. Hunt had 1,327 on 272 carries. Kamara got fewer than 10 attempts in 11 of the 16 games this season. This is where it gets complicated. Kamara definitely made the most of his carries. Averaging over six yards per rush, in the system he plays in, New Orleans, it isn’t necessary to run the ball often when your quarterback is Drew Brees.
If you were to swap the two, Hunt would still be where he’s at numbers wise. Kamara on the other hand would have ended up with Charcandrick West type numbers.
Casualty of the system
Hunt wasn’t displayed for the world to see in the Chiefs lone playoff game. He faded away in the second half of pretty much every game this season. Whether he was having a good game or not, his carries faded away as the game went on.
Chiefs fans screamed at the top of their lungs to run the ball week after week, to no avail. When Hunt was given the chance in crunch time situations, he came through big. A perfect example was the first Chargers game of the season. The Chargers were not going away and threatened to take it to the wire until Hunt broke free for 69 yards and a score, putting the game away for good.
Too often in the fourth quarter, third downs and goal line situations Hunt was watching on the sidelines.
Kareem Hunt, the rookie that was rarely taken down at first contact. The guy that made a name for himself by trucking through defenders to gain that extra yard or two. Yes, that guy, was standing on the sideline watching West and whoever else take his carries and his momentum right along with it.
How frustrating is it for a running back to help get your team to the redzone only to be pulled once you get there?
Kamara had a heck of a season, as I mentioned before, he made the most out of his touches, and that can’t be argued. Hunt led the league and broke records this past season that Kamara did not. Hunt put in the work, game in and game out if allowed to do so. So, yes, I think Hunt got robbed, figuratively of course. Hunt had a season unlike very few rookies at any position have.