The Kansas City Chiefs weren't able to complete their 3-peat quest, as they lost 40-22 to the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a dominating performance by a Philadelphia team seeking revenge on a Chiefs squad that beat them in Super Bowl LVII.
While the Eagles played stifling defense throughout the contest that saw quarterback Patrick Mahomes under constant duress, head coach Andy Reid made a clear mistake. And maybe even worse for Chiefs fans is that it's one he's made before, and that
Kareem Hunt Only Had Three Carries in Super Bowl 59
In this contest, the Chiefs ran the ball 11 times total, with Patrick Mahomes' 4 carries for 25 yards leading the way. Kareem Hunt had only 3 carries — matching what Eagles backup QB Kenny Pickett recorded.
Of course you have to throw more when playing from behind, but the Chiefs only ran the ball once on their first four drives. Reid completely abandoned the running game from the opening whistle.
Accordingly, the Chiefs went three-and-out in three of their first five drives, with another ending in an interception.
Going into halftime, Kansas City was in a 24-0 deficit and couldn't run the ball after that. The lack of a rushing attack played a factor in the loss, as the Chiefs failed to neutralize Philadelphia's pass rush.
Once Hunt landed back in Kansas City in September, he provided them with a reliable playmaker in the backfield. This season, the 29-year-old had 200 carries for 728 yards and seven touchdowns. In the Divisional and AFC Championship, he had at least eight carries, 40-plus rushing yards and a score.
The Chiefs weren't able to get back to the consistency running the ball and it came back to bite them.
The flow of the game played a big role in the lack of a rushing attack, but in the biggest game of the year, Reid made one of his biggest mistakes. This was Hunt's season-low in carries and it came at the worst time.