Fantasy owners and Patriots haters were rejoicing over the stunning debut of rookie running back Kareem Hunt.
Hunt torched the Patriots defense for 148 rushing yards and 98 receiving, while scoring three touchdowns in the Chiefs’ 41-27 comeback victory. It was tough to envision Hunt as the Chiefs’ hero after he fumbled the very first time he touched the ball.
“You’ve got to be able to have that ‘it’ about you, that the stage isn’t too big,” quarterback Alex Smith told reporters of Hunt. “Man, to start on your first carry and have it go like that, it would be hard to overcome for a lot of guys.
“I thought it was awesome Coach (Andy Reid) coming right back to him … There was a good chunk there where we were going as Kareem was going. He was really a big chunk of the offense tonight. For a young guy, we put a lot on him, in all facets of the offense tonight, and he was able to handle it.”
The Chiefs selected Hunt in the third round out of Toledo, where he had 855 touches in four years and did not lose a single fumble. He had one receiving touchdown for the Rockets; he now has two in his NFL career, including a 75-yarder early in the third quarter that put the Chiefs ahead for the first time.
“It was a lot of learning, I had some ups and downs,” “I had to keep fighting through it. I couldn’t get down on myself. I had to keep making plays.”
The Chiefs moved up in the third round in a deal with the Vikings to select Hunt at No. 86. SB Nation championed the selection as the and CBS’ Pete Prisco said Hunt was a Hunt’s biggest night at Toledo came in January 2015, when he ran for five touchdowns and 271 yards in the GoDaddy Bowl against Arkansas State.
Despite his impressive college numbers, Hunt was not expected to be the Week 1 starter for the Chiefs. But Spencer Ware suffered a severe leg injury in a preseason game against the Seahawks, boosting Hunt to the top of the depth chart.
“It showed me they believed in me, they weren’t going to give up on me and put me on the bench,” Hunt said of the fumble. “Honestly it helped me out.”
Many more chances appear to be coming his way.