Kareem Hunt: Who is impacted the most by his release?

Kareem Hunt shook the football world when a video of him shoving and kicking a woman at a Cleveland hotel was released by TMZ.

The backlash that followed led to the Kansas City Chiefs making the momentous decision to release the All-Pro running back. This despite him being their best player on offense and only 23-years old. It marked the first time a team had sacrificed a young superstar in the name of higher morals. Many argue the Chiefs knew about it for months and should’ve done it sooner, but their statement on the matter revealed they had not seen the video before everyone else.

They’d only gone on Hunt’s word on what happened. It would seem what the video showed and what he told them did not line up. Thus they decided to cut ties. Other teams may not have had the courage to do that. Either way, there’s no doubt that Hunt’s exit will have a cascade effect across the NFL with a number of people or groups of people affected by it. Who exactly will be the most impacted?

Here are the names to watch and why.

Spencer Ware

No man is more impacted by this move than Hunt’s former backup at running back, Spencer Ware. Most expected him to be someone who could provide him with rest from time to time during games. Nobody thought about the possibility that Ware might have to be the primary back. Yet that is now the case. Is he up for it? For what it’s worth, Ware is averaging 5.6 yards per carry this season and has been a consistent threat in the passing game most of his career.

Patrick Mahomes

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The young star quarterback for Kansas City can obviously keep the offense going through the air. However, he was dependent on Hunt to be an outlet both as a receiving back and somebody who could balance the offense. Look at it like this. Mahomes has thrown six of his 10 interceptions this season when the Chiefs have failed to top the 100-yard mark on the ground. In other words, Mahomes tends to give it away more often when teams know he’s throwing.

The Chiefs defense

This is also could be a big problem for the Kansas City defense. The group has struggled to get stops all season. In those same four games where the team failed to hit 100 yards on the ground, the defense allowed 54, 43, 27, and 23 points respectively against their opponents. Unless Ware is able to keep things afloat, there’s a chance they could be forced onto the field even more often. That’s not exactly a recipe for success.

The New England Patriots

Few teams had a harder time dealing with Hunt than the Patriots. In two games against them, he had 228 rushing yards, 203 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. He was quite literally unstoppable. Now if the two teams meet in the playoffs, which feels like an inevitability at this point, that’s a huge advantage the Chiefs enjoyed that will be gone. Another sign of the incredible good fortune New England has enjoyed for so many years.

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