As the Kansas City Chiefs entered the 2024 training camp, many viewed their running back room as a weak link, aside from starter Isiah Pacheco.
However, when Pacheco went down with an injury in Week 2, questions arose regarding how the Chiefs would cope without him. Enter Kareem Hunt, who returned to form in Week 5, racking up 27 carries and 102 rushing yards against the New Orleans Saints.
“I mean, [Hunt] deserved it. He’s playing hard,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II stated after the game. “For someone who didn’t have a training camp, to have that amount of carries and catches — not to mention his pass protection and ability to pick up blitzes — that stuff often goes unnoticed, and he’s excelled at it.”
Mahomes issued a compelling warning to the rest of the league regarding the Kansas City running back room.
“It’s going to be really tough when you get Pacheco back, along with Kareem, [Carson] Steele, Clyde Edwards-Helaire… [Samaje] Perine,” the Chiefs star quarterback remarked with a smirk. He praised KC general manager Brett Veach for enhancing the running back position in recent weeks and months.
“We’ll be able to run the football effectively, and hopefully, that will improve our play-action game,” Mahomes concluded with confidence.
Against the Saints, the Chiefs produced 139 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while the Saints managed just 46 rushing yards. Although the ground game wasn’t explosive, with both Hunt and Steele only managing 8-yard runs at most, it was consistent and steady, which allowed Mahomes to throw for another 331 yards.
Mahomes Gives Andy Reid Credit for Offensive Success
As is customary, the Chiefs exhibited a “next man up” mentality on October 7. After the win, a reporter questioned how Kansas City continues to succeed despite injuries.
“I think it’s a credit not only to the players and their hard work but also to Coach [Andy] Reid, who understands their skill sets and knows how to position them for success,” Mahomes responded.
He added, “Kareem runs extremely hard. He fights for every yard, catches the ball, and does whatever it takes to win. And JuJu [Smith-Schuster] — even when he wasn’t getting as many reps — was studying the playbook and picking up on what he had missed over the past year. But you all saw him two years ago. He fits seamlessly into this offense.”
Smith-Schuster echoed Mahomes’ sentiments, stating that Reid “has an incredible knack for placing guys in the right position.” He emphasized, “He knows how to leverage a player’s strengths on the field and exploit them.”
Hunt concurred, saying, “Coach Reid does a fantastic job of putting us in advantageous situations to succeed.”
Mahomes indicated that if the Chiefs wish to keep winning after their Week 6 bye, they will need players to step up, as Smith-Schuster and Hunt did on Monday Night Football. This strategy will be essential as the offense deals with injuries throughout the remainder of the season.
Chiefs Employ All Four Tight Ends Against Saints
In a somewhat rare move, the Chiefs utilized a four-tight end set against New Orleans.
“We have a lot of talented tight ends,” Mahomes noted. “We want to make sure they get on the field. It was great to see those guys out there — Jody [Fortson] came back and made a catch. He’s an athletic guy who can stretch the field for his size.”
Superstar Travis Kelce led the tight end group with nine receptions for 70 yards, while Noah Gray and Fortson contributed three receptions for 34 yards combined. Rookie Jared Wiley didn’t catch a pass in Week 5, but that could change in future games as the Chiefs continue to involve everyone.
“When you can run the ball with those bigger sets and then spread teams out, it gives us an advantage with our athletic tight ends,” Mahomes elaborated. “We’ll mix and match based on our opponents, but I believe Coach Reid and the staff will do an excellent job of game planning… we’re going to utilize everyone on the team.”
