Old Friends Step Up, Give Chiefs Kingdom Peace of Mind During Bye Week

The Kansas City Chiefs made critical moves to bring back former players who helped the team get to an undefeated 5-0 start ahead of the bye week.

Oct 7, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt (29) celebrates with tight end Travis Kelce (87) after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the New Orleans Saints at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Chiefs are enjoying their bye week early in the season this year. The early reprieve for the Chiefs comes on the heels of a 5-0 start despite a streak of bad-luck injuries that have ravaged the team. In fact, the Chiefs are the only undefeated team left in the AFC. There are still many obstacles that lie ahead, but all things considered, the Chiefs have been able to persevere and get the job done. 

Back in July, if I had told you that JuJu Smith-Schuster would lead the team in receiving yards and Kareem Hunt would lead the team in rushing yards in Week 5, you probably would have laughed in my face, and it would have been warranted. However, after Marquise “Hollywood” Brown was injured, the Chiefs needed a veteran with experience. Insert Smith-Schuster’s return to the team after he was cut from the New England Patriots. Then, starting running back Isiah Pacheco went down with a serious lower leg injury. He should be back at some point this season, but the Chiefs needed to bring in a veteran who could help carry the load. Insert Hunt’s return to the team. 

Smith-Schuster wasn’t targeted often through the first four weeks of the season. He was out there blocking, running routes, and being a team player, but he wasn’t being utilized as a weapon in the offense. Before Week 5, there were two games when he wasn’t targeted, leading to three total games when he didn’t have a catch. Week 3 against Atlanta was the only game he had multiple catches (2), but one of those did culminate in a touchdown.

No one thought Smith-Schuster would have a significantly increased role in the offense until Rashee Rice went down with a reportedly season-ending knee injury in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chiefs already had their gameplan set for that game, so Smith-Schuster still didn’t get involved in that one. However, with a week to prepare, head coach Andy Reid was able to push Smith-Schuster to the forefront of the team’s plans. Things worked out well for Smith-Schuster, who finished the game with seven catches for 130 yards in a 26-13 win over the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes showed he still has trust in Smith-Schuster, who was his No. 1 wide receiver target throughout the 2022 season. 

Hunt’s return was a bit longer in the waiting with a more tumultuous past. There's plenty of required reading if you're not familiar with the full history of Hunt and the Chiefs, but remember that he was drafted by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, leading to a great rookie season before his time with the team was cut short due to off-the-field incidents. Hunt would go on to have success with the Cleveland Browns but was typically the second running back on the depth chart for most of his time there.

After Pacheco went down and with Clyde Edwards-Helaire on the NFI list, all the Chiefs had left were rookie Carson Steele and recently added veteran Samaje Perine. Steele was decent in his first start, but has put the ball on the ground three times early in the season. Hunt was able to supplant Steele in his first game back on the active roster. Hunt led the team in carries (14) in a 17-10 Week 4 win over the Chargers, and his role only increased when he picked up his first start of the season in Week 5 against the Saints. Hunt's workload jumped to 27 carries and he gained 102 yards and scored a touchdown. Hunt is fully entrenched as the workhorse running back until Pacheco is able to return. 

Having a resurgent game from both of these players who had not been around the team for over a year in Smith-Schuster’s case and multiple years in Hunt’s case has given the team and fan base a chance to breathe a sigh of relief. There’s still a good chance the Chiefs will make another move to add a wide receiver before the trade deadline, but having Smith-Schuster be a stable and reliable option gives the organization some peace of mind for the time being. Having a workhorse like Hunt to rely on while Pacheco is out cannot be understated. The Chiefs need a complimentary running game for Mahomes to thrive, and Hunt can bring that while Pacheco is healing. Even better news, when Pacheco is back, the Chiefs will be able to crush opponents in the second half of games with both battering rams in Hunt and Pacheco.

With the Chiefs being undefeated heading into a bye and old friends like Smith-Schuster and Hunt making a positive difference in the Chiefs season as they roll toward the first three-peat in NFL history, there seem to be good vibes around Chiefs Kingdom despite some difficult circumstances. They’ll look to continue adding to the positivity after the bye with a Week 7 road game in San Francisco to take on the 49ers for a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl.

Read More: Injury-Riddled Wide Receiver Room Derails Chiefs' Plans – Does KC Need to Make a Move?