Andy Reid defied his own playbook—and the bold move delivered the most shocking win of the season.QQ
Andy Reid and the Chiefs made it their mission to run on the Colts with Kareem Hunt.
Tee Kansas City Chiefs won an ugly game against one of the AFC’s best, the Indianapolis Colts. It’s a game they desperately needed to win in a way they desperately needed. What is that way? Well, a one-score game that saw them end up on top, not the other way around. How did they get there? Well, kind of on the back of running back Kareem Hunt.
The Chiefs ran the ball a ton. Running backs in this game ran the ball 36 times. That stat alone is enough to question whether head coach Andy Reid, who loves passing the ball, was actually coaching. Now, factor that stat in with the fact the Chiefs ran the ball that many times without ever leading the game, outside of the game winner. That completely goes against everything Reid is known for.
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“I thought the line was controlling things there pretty good, which was important,” Reid told reporters after the win. “We were getting positive yards on first down, which was good. We ran a little bit on second down, likewise. (Offensive Line) Coach (Andy) Heck puts all of that together. I mean that’s his deal, so he did a great job schematically with it, and they were dialed up and the guys executed them.”
Chiefs needed Kareem Hunt to carry the load in the running game, and he answered the call
Sunday was Kareem Hunt’s best game as a Chiefs since he’s been back in KC on his second stint with the team. he didn’t look anything like the guy we saw in the first stint, because he’s changed his game up a bit. That’s one of the best things about Hunt – his ability to adapt and change his game so he doesn’t get run out of the league in an era where the RB isn’t valued enough.
Hunt is now a power back, where before he was super fast and caught the ball a ton out of the backfield. Back then, you could have called Hunt a dynamic running back, and he was still that even when he was with the Cleveland Browns. Now, he’s the type of running back who powers through gaps and is almost automatic in any short-yardage to-go situations.
Hunt ran the ball 30 times, which is a ton for a 30 year old running back. He finished with over 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, which made him look like Priest Holmes or Marcus Allen, as he skied high over the offensive and defensive lines.
Kansas City kept running the ball, also running up the amount of plays that the Colts defense was playing, while giving KC’s defense a rest. The way they did it is not what Reid is used to doing. But, it got him the win, and he can thank Hunt for that, too.
