Kansas City Chiefs News: How Did KC Run The Ball Against The Raiders Without Kareem Hunt?

On Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs (10-2) had to cut their leading rusher and the reigning rushing champion. Surveillance footage emerged of a February incident in which running back Kareem Hunt shoved a woman to the ground and kicked her, prompting the Chiefs to release the 23-year-old Pro Bowler hours later on the grounds that he had lied to them in his description of the incident.

Less than 48 hours later, the Chiefs had a game to play and they found a way to beat their season average on the ground. Kansas City had 174 rushing yards on 30 carries against the Oakland Raiders (2-10), 54 yards above its season average of 120.7 yards per game.

Spencer Ware, who replaced Hunt on short notice and started for the Chiefs in 2016, had only 47 yards on 14 carries. Ware also had a short touchdown run out of a direct snap on 4th and goal.

The Chiefs plan on taking a “running back by committee” approach with Ware and backups Damien Williams and Darrel Williams. The former Williams had a nice day with limited opportunities, registering 38 rushing yards on just five carries. The latter did not record any stats.

The Chiefs’ gaudy rushing total against the Raiders is a bit misleading, as quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the team in rushing with 52 yards. A 28 yard scramble by Mahomes and a 33 yard end-around by receiver Tyreek Hill accounted for 61 of the team’s 174 yards.

The Raiders have the 31st ranked rushing defense in the league, giving up an average of 153.2 yards per game. Next week’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens (7-5) will be a bigger test for the Chiefs, as the Ravens allow only 87.2 rushing yards per game, good for third in the NFL.