Chiefs’ Hunt gets back on track
116-YARD DAY
• Kareem Hunt’s eyes must have got wide when he took a handoff from Alex Smith and plunged toward the line of scrimmage in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Oakland Raiders.
For once, he didn’t have a massive defensive tackle ready to give him a bear hug.
Hunt wound up with a 6- yard gain, a modest success by some standards but a run that must have felt like freedom.
It was a third of his total two weeks ago against Buffalo, and set the tone for what would be a massive bounce-back performance.
Hunt wound up rushing for 116 yards and a touchdown, and caught t hree passes for 22 yards, to help the Chiefs to a 26-15 victory in a crucial showdown for the AFC West race.
“Honestly, I would feel this way if we win no matter what my numbers look like. It is just huge to go out there and get a big- time win and keep it going,” said Hunt, who had not eclipsed the 100- yard mark since Week 5.
It wasn’t just a bounceback performance for Hunt, of course.
The victory snapped a four- game skid and put the Chiefs in solid position with t he Chargers coming to town Saturday.
Those teams are 7- 6 and tied atop the AFC West.
The Chiefs won their first meeting in Los Angeles, and Hunt was a big reason why. The rookie with the wide smile and never-go-down attitude churned 17 times for 172 yards and the clinching touchdown in a 24-10 victory, one of many highlights during what became a 5- 0 start.
Despite being 2- 6 in their past eight, the Chiefs kept going to him.
It was only a matter of t i me, quarterback Alex Smith s ai d, until Hunt broke loose again.
He finally did on Sunday.