Monday night’s 26-13 victory over the New Orleans Saints provided a blast from the past for the Kansas City Chiefs, with wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back Kareem Hunt reprising their starring roles.
Smith-Schuster helped fill the void left by the knee injury to starting wideout Rashee Rice with seven catches for 130 yards, with Hunt rushing for 102 yards and scoring his first touchdown with the Chiefs since his release six years ago.Â
In past seasons, the veterans were key contributors to Kansas City success, with Smith-Schuster leading the 2022 World Champions in receiving. In 2017, Hunt led the National Football League in rushing as a rookie, but was released the following season after a video surfaced showing him shoving and kicking a woman.Â
Neither player was with the Chiefs in training camp earlier this year, as Smith-Schuster was with the New England Patriots and Hunt was out of the league after his release by the Cleveland Browns.
Hunt said he had always hoped for another chance with the Chiefs. After scoring the game’s first touchdown, he made a heart shape with his fingers to show his love for Kansas City.