Kansas City Chiefs: Kareem Hunt reminds NFL how valuable he can be

The Kansas City Chiefs have been all about Patrick Mahomes, and for great reason. On Monday night, Kareem Hunt showed how valuable he can be.

The Kansas City Chiefs are one of the most fun teams to watch in 2018. From Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. With all the hype surrounding Mahomes, Kareem Hunt has taken a back seat. That is, until Monday night.

During the first three weeks of the season, Kareem Hunt was nothing more than a balancing act for what Mahomes was doing on the field. Simply being used to keep defenses honest.

Against the Chargers, he ran 16 times for 49 yards. He totaled 75 yards on 18 attempts at Pittsburgh. At home against San Francisco, he ran the ball another 18 times for 44 yards.

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Just your average, run of the mill running back. In three games he rushed 52 times for 168 yards and two touchdowns and caught one pass for a five-yard touchdown.

Then Monday night in Denver came along. Against the Broncos, he ran 19 times for 121 yards and a score. He also caught three for 54 yards. It wasn’t that he ran the ball, but how he ran.

Hunt bulldozed his way through Bronco defenders all night long. Had it not been for his performance on the night, Patrick Mahomes would have never had his opportunity to bring the Chiefs back in heroic fashion to win their third road game in the first quarter of the 2018 season.

Hunts’ performance will go under the radar and for good reason. What Mahomes was able to do in the fourth quarter was beyond impressive.

It’s beyond promising what this offense can accomplish if Hunt can produce even remotely close to what he did Monday night.

The weapons this offense has is beyond anything the rest of the NFL can produce. Every other team is missing an ingredient. Whether it be a star tight end or a stud No.2 receiver, or a bruising, elusive back to complement the receiving game.

Beyond all of that, no other team in the league has a quarterback like Mahomes.

https://twitter.com/Chiefs/status/1046975796450156544?s=19

Kareem Hunt may not lead the league in rushing. With a passing game like the one Kansas City has, it’s very unlikely. What he will do is make defenses choose who beats them.

When the Chiefs needed him to step up, he did just that. The Chiefs went into Denver and came out victorious, without Sammy Watkins.

Kareem Hunt just put the NFL on notice. If defenses do stop Mahomes, Hunt will open up the passing game with his powerful but elegant running.