Hunt keeping pace in NFL rushing race

The race for the NFL rushing title looks like a three-man competition with two weeks to play. It could be a photo finish. Just 35 yards separate the top contenders for the league’s rushing crown.

The Chiefs’ Kareem Hunt is in the middle of the race, and has a chance to bring home the title with a strong finish.

It won’t be easy. The contenders are piling up the yards.

The Steelers’ Le’Veon Bell maintained his lead with a solid day against the Patriots in a 2724 loss Dec. 17.

Bell rushed for 117 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown and has a leaguehigh 1,222 yards on 307 carries (4.0-yard average).

Hunt pulled within 21 yards of Bell with an even better game Dec. 16 against the Chargers in a 30-13 win. The Willoughby South graduate rushed for 155 yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns. He now has 1,201 rushing yards this season on 242 carries (5.0-yard average).

In third place is the Rams’ Todd Gurley, who also had a big day Dec. 17 in a 42-7 win over the Seahawks. Gurley rushed for 152 yards on 21 carries and scored four touchdowns. He now has 1,187 yards on 257 carries (4.6-yard average).

Although three other players — the Bears’ Jordan Howard, the Bills’ LeSean McCoy and Mark Ingram of the Saints — have at least 1,000 yards rushing this season, neither has reached 1,100 yards.

For Hunt, his big game against the Chargers set a team mark. He set the franchise record for a rookie of 1,121 rushing yards set by the late Joe Delaney in 1981. Hunt also broke Delaney’s

record for carries by a rookie with 242, and his sixth 100-yard game also broke the franchise rookie record.

“He’s such a special player in space,” Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith told reporters after the Chargers game. “So strong, fast, great balance. You know, if you keep working hard, even if there’s a free hat one time, you cover up the other guys, and he has such a knack to make a guy miss. Guys want to block for him because he works so hard. He has that mentality.”

Said Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce: “He’s a big body running downhill right now. That’s going to be hard to stop for any defense we face. Having him on our side is a huge advantage.”

Hunt is also closing in on double-digits in touchdowns. For the season, he has six rushing TDs, and three receiving. As a receiver,

he has 49 catches for 440 yards, which gives him 1,641 all-purpose yards for the season.

That type of production, and his late-season surge, could pave the way to Hunt winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. The Texans’ DeShaun Watson was likely Hunt’s main competition, but the quarterback was lost for the rest of the season earlier this year with a knee injury.

“Honestly, I set some early goals,” Hunt told reporters Dec. 17, “and honestly, the biggest thing is to put the team in a winning position. Winning is the most important thing, and we know how big these games are now.”

Saints running back Alvin Kamara could be Hunt’s biggest threat in the rookie of the year race. Kamara has 1,247 yards rushing and receiving with 11 total touchdowns.