The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Chiefs running back Hunt makes Pro Bowl
Kareem Hunt is making a run at the NFL rushing title, and because of it, the rookie from Willoughby South is a reserve for the Pro Bowl.
It’s been a dream rookie season so far for Willoughby South graduate Kareem Hunt.
Things got even better when rosters for the Pro Bowl rosters were announced Dec. 19.
The Chiefs running back was named as a reserve for the AFC squad. Hunt joins the Bills’ LeSean McCoy as a running back reserve to starter Le’Veon Bell of the Steelers.
Hunt and Bell are battling for the NFL rushing title. With two regularseason games to play, Bell leads with 1, 222 rushing yards. Hunt has 1,201. He had 155 yards on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns Dec. 16 against the Chargers in a 30-13 win. Hunt is averaging 5.0 yards per carry and leads the NFL in broken tackles.
“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.”
The 100-yard game against the Chargers was Hunt’s sixth of the season, which is a Chiefs rookie record. He also broke the late Joe Delaney’s single-season franchise rookie record for rushing yards in a season.
Hunt is 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.