Kareem Hunt stayed positive. Now he’s piling up yards + TDs for undefeated Chiefs

How good was running back Kareem Hunt his first time around with the Chiefs?

In 2017, he set an NFL record for total yards from scrimmage in his professional debut against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Two weeks later he rushed for 172 yards in a game.

When the season was over, Hunt was the league’s rushing leader. And that production continued the following season — for 11 games.

That’s when Hunt was abruptly released by the Chiefs for essentially lying to club officials about pushing a woman to the ground and kicking her.

Six years later, Hunt is back with the Chiefs and making the most of his second chance. He scored the walk-off touchdown from the 2-yard line Monday night as the Chiefs beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-24 in overtime.

“Overtime game-winning TD, I can’t complain,” Hunt said.

On a night when Chiefs receiver DeAndre Hopkins caught two touchdown passes, tight end Travis Kelce matched a career-best with 14 receptions and recorded his first 100-yard game of the season, Hunt and the running game made a huge difference, too.

Hunt rushed for 90 of his 106 yards after halftime. Forty-six of them came on a drive that gave the Chiefs a one-touchdown lead early in the fourth quarter.

Hunt surpassed 100 rushing yards for the second time in five games with the Chiefs this season. He had one such game over the previous five years with the Cleveland Browns.

Also different: Monday marked Hunt’s fourth straight game with at least 20 rushing attempts. That’s the longest such streak of his career. With the Browns, he carried the ball 20 times in a game just once.

And the touchdown was his team-leading fifth on the ground in five games.

“It’s been fun to watch,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “When you play that hard the entire game, it’s going to wear on the defense.”

After last season, Hunt elected to become a free agent. But as the months passed, he didn’t catch on with another team.

He spent the summer working out with his high school track coach outside Cleveland, waiting for an opportunity that was never assured.

When the Chiefs lost starting running back Isiah Pacheco to a fractured fibula in a Week 2 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, they were in the market — and made the call to Hunt.

“I was on the couch and didn’t know if I would get a call,” Hunt said. “... I just stayed positive and kept working out, waiting for an opportunity to show the world what I can do.”

What Hunt does exceptionally well is run with force. He’s operating behind a different offensive line than the one that blocked for him during his first stint in Kansas City. This one is stout in the interior, with center Creed Humphrey and guards Trey Smith and Joe Thuney.

The middle is where Hunt does most of his damage. On his game-winning touchdown, Thuney pulled and got the first key block. Hunt then drove his way into the end zone, setting off victory fireworks at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

He smiled and waved at the crowd while clutching the football.

“I’m having a lot of fun,” he said.