Has Kareem Hunt created a RB controversy for Chiefs?

The Kansas City Chiefs remain the sole unbeaten team in the NFL through seven weeks, though they're doing it in spite of QB Patrick Mahomes, not because of him.

When the Chiefs successfully defended their Super Bowl title in February against the San Francisco 49ers, they did so on the back of a great defense (17.3 point allowed per game in the regular season, second-best in the league), rather than their surprisingly pedestrian offense (21.8 points per game, 15th). 

Mahomes and the offense did pick it up slightly in the playoffs (23.8 PPG) — and the QB etched his name into history with a 333-yard, two touchdown performance that earned him his third Super Bowl MVP trophy — though the credit for the victory lay squarely on the shoulders of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and his unit.

Now more than a third of the way through the 2024 regular season, the story is the same at Arrowhead, where Mahomes is playing the worst ball of his career (231.5 passing yards per game, six touchdowns, eight interceptions) and the Chiefs' defense is allowing a comically-low 15.8 points per game. 

A stunning turn of events though it may be, Kansas City should be applauded for finding new ways to win even when their franchise signal caller is going through unprecedented rough patches.

Of course, it helps that the Chiefs have found a way to employ a strong rushing attack ever since Isiah Pacheco took over as the lead back. The former seventh-round pick rushed 205 times for 935 yards last season, adding 244 yards on 44 receptions. He became the clear three-down back in head coach Andy Reid's offense, leading the 2023 playoff field with 313 rushing yards across four games. 

Heading into the 2024 season, Pacheco was the unquestioned alpha in the Chiefs' running back room, accumulating 41 touches and 189 scrimmage yards in the team's first two games of the season. However, he suffered a fibula injury in the team's Week 2 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, which landed him on IR with a six to eight week timeline for return that he seems unlikely to meet.

After fumbling around in the dark for a few games with undrafted free agent Carson Steele and free agent acquisition Samaje Perine, the team brought back a familiar face in Kareem Hunt, who led the league in rushing with 1,327 yards during his rookie season in Kansas City.

With preexisting knowledge of Reid's playbook, Hunt immediately came in and took over the lead back role, garnering 14 rushes in Week 4. He's since been given 20-plus carries in back-to-back games, scoring three touchdowns and piling up 200 total scrimmage yards in a couple of throwback performances.

So, where does this leave Kansas City? Pacheco's timeline remains unclear, as the six-week mark since initially suffering his injury is right now. He posted a video of himself running on the treadmill as a clear indicator of his improving health, but he's obviously not nearing a return in the immediate future.