Kareem Hunt’s ridiculous rookie season for Chiefs was rooted in Chargers’ generosity

Kareem Hunt introduced himself to the NFL with a monster game against the New England Patriots in last season’s opener.

But the team that brought out the best of Hunt and in the Chiefs running game awaits them Sunday when the curtain opens on 2018.

Hunt had his two most productive rushing games — and two of the top nine by anybody in the NFL last season — against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chiefs open the season on Sunday against the Chargers in Carson, Calif.

Last season, in the third week at StubHub Center, Hunt rolled to 172 rushing yards, with the final 69 coming on a late fourth-quarter touchdown sprint that provided a two-touchdown margin. That was the NFL’s third-best rushing game in 2017.

When the teams met again in December in what amounted to the division championship game, Hunt again came up huge, rushing for 155 yards.

That’s 327 rushing yards, about eight yards per carry, and three total touchdowns for Hunt against the Chargers. With an NFL rushing title-total of 1,327 yards, he put up an even grand against everyone else.

“Honestly, the line did a great job up front,” Hunt said. “That doesn’t mean anything now, but we came ready to play in those games.”

Those victories helped build the Chiefs’ eight-game winning streak in the series. The season sweep in 2017 came against a Chargers team that finished third in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 17 points per game.

But the Chargers finished with the 31st-ranked rushing defense, and the games turned in by Hunt and the offensive line helped sink that ranking.

The running game figures to be essential for Chiefs’ success on Sunday.

If the Chargers were leaky in run defense last season, they made up for it with one of the NFL’s top pass defenses. Ends Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram combined for 23 sacks and were Pro Bowlers. The unit helped them overcome a 0-4 start that ended in a 9-7 record.

Why is establishing the run even more important to the Chiefs in this one?

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is making his second NFL start. Few doubt now is the time for Mahomes to take the reins. But coming up huge in this moment is a big ask, and among the reasons to believe he’ll succeed is the talent around him.

Like Hunt.

As a good as Hunt was against the Chargers and throughout the season, the Chiefs might look to ration their rushing attempts differently. The Chiefs kept five running backs, including fullback Anthony Sherman, one more than usual for an Andy Reid team.

Back is Spencer Ware, the team’s leading rusher in 2016 who sat out last season with a torn PCL. In three career games against the Chargers, Ware has rushed for 218 yards and three touchdowns. The Chiefs also kept Damien Williams and Darrel Williams.

“You want all those guys to contribute in some form or fashion,” offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said.

Hunt took all but seven of the running back carries against the Chargers last season. Charcandrick West, no longer with the team, got those. West was the Chiefs’ third-down back last season.

Hunt has said he’s ready to be the team’s every-down back, but how he’s used in relation to the Chiefs’ other rushers will be unveiled Sunday.

“One thing we have is a nice group of running backs,” Reid said. “They’re all going to play. Kareem is plenty ready to work on third down. We’ll see how that goes.”

Blair Kerkhoff

Blair Kerkhoff covers the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals and college sports for The Star.