Chiefs RB Hunt talked way into capturing rushing title

— The Sports Xchange —

Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt was intent on winning the rushing title, so much so that the rookie smooth-talked his coach into letting him vie for the honor.
“He came to me and he wanted to play and he wanted to do this thing,” coach Andy Reid said of Hunt, per ESPN. “I fought him a little bit on it, and he won that fight. He told me he’d get it taken care of quick, and he did that. My hat goes off to him.”
Hunt didn’t take long in accomplishing the feat on Sunday, rushing for a 35-yard touchdown on his lone carry against the Denver Broncos. Hunt (1,327 rushing yards) needed just 14 yards to pass Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley, who sat out his team’s regular-season finale.
The 22-year-old Hunt was active because Charcandrick West was inactive due to illness, leaving the team with just Akeem Hunt as its lone running back. Akeem Hunt was expected to carry most of the workload in the backfield against the Broncos, but a twisted ankle along with an existing shoulder injury limited him to just 16 snaps.
Fullback Anthony Spencer finished as the team’s leading rusher with 14 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown.
“I just had to be ready,” Kareem Hunt said. “We were low on numbers at the running back position. Akeem and Sherm were the only guys there, so I had to dress and have their backs.”