Kareem Hunt’s redemption and 4 other overlooked Chiefs storylines in the NFL playoffs

After their first round bye last week, the Kansas City Chiefs are set to host the Houston Texans this Saturday in the divisional round. Kansas City took care of Houston a few weeks ago and got a home win over the Texans by a score of 27-19. The main goal of getting another playoff victory is at the top of the players and coaches in Kansas City, but for the fans there are many reasons to look forward to this particular playoff run.

There is a sense of added history at play for this franchise. For some players, individually, the Chiefs have some names who are looking to prove themselves in different ways. With those things in mind, this could be an extremely satisfying playoff stretch if the Chiefs get back to where they want to go.

What are some overlooked stories surrounding the Chiefs going into this current playoff run? Here are five to keep in mind for Kansas City.

1. Kareem Hunt will play alongside Mahomes in the postseason

Kareem Hunt has played in four career playoff games thus far. One of those was with Kansas City, which came at the end of his rookie season, in conjunction with Alex Smith, who was playing his final year in a Chiefs uniform. Hunt ended up scoring a touchdown in that game for the Kansas City offense. Interestingly, he played in one more playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium while with the Cleveland Browns. The Chiefs won that game though Hunt finished with another playoff rushing touchdown at Arrowhead.

Patrick Mahomes started that playoff game against the Browns, but this Saturday will be the first time Hunt and Mahomes play in a playoff game together. This is important for several reasons. of course, Mahomes and Hunt were close friends during the running back’s first run in Kansas City. Each of them was a member of Chiefs’ 2017 draft class. And this season alone, Hunt has helped provide a boost when Kansas City has needed it most on offense.

If Hunt does it again on Saturday, the significance of this upcoming performance being paired with Mahomes will only shine brighter.

2. Some former Texans are happy to be on the right side this time

While this doesn’t necessarily include the entire postseason, this upcoming playoff game could mean a little more to some current Chiefs players. The last time Kansas City faced Houston in the playoffs, one of the wildest comebacks after the season arose. And the shift in momentum really engaged in a quarter. Kansas City came back from a 24-0 deficit to lead 28-24 at halftime in the 2019 regular season divisional round. The Chiefs eventually defeated the Texans at home in that game 51-31.

On the losing side of that fight was DeAndre Hopkins, Justin Reid and Charles Omenihu. Now that the trio are all teammates on the Chiefs, they hope to avoid that kind of serious heartbreak in a Houston-Kansas City playoff matchup. Reid and Omenihu have each already won a Super Bowl in KC, with Reid there for the last two.

Hopkins has been one of the most accomplished wide receivers of his generation. But obviously he hasn’t won many playoff games in his career, let alone made it to a Super Bowl. The veteran wide receiver will be hoping to start things off with a bang against his first ever NFL team.

3. Nick Bolton, Trey Smith may play their final snaps in KC

Every team is going to lose some pieces during the season. But for the Chiefs themselves, there are a few home-grown talents who are set for free soon. Linebacker Nick Bolton and guard Trey Smith were both part of 2021 draft class. Both players have been part of some epic moments or finishes while wearing Chiefs colors. However, the future around them is still unclear.

The Chiefs would probably love to bring back both guys. Maybe they can do it. But as we know, there simply isn’t enough room to pay everyone. For someone like Smith, he has a real shot at it reset the market at the guard position. This applies especially if he travels to another team. Elsewhere, Bolton are in a market that is more unclear to project when it comes to future contracts.

Regardless of what the Chiefs decide to do, each of Bolton and Smith have been key leaders for Kansas City — not only for their play, but also for the way they handle themselves off the field. Kansas City is likely heading into a bumpy road trying to navigate the deals for these two, depending on how the team finishes in the playoffs.

4. Hollywood Browns chance to cash in

The year did not go quite as expected for Hollywood Brown. Kansas City was hoping to reintroduce their deep ball to the league, so to speak, and Brown was hoping to be a key cog in that plan for 2024. Of course, his injury in the preseason led to another hurdle. But late in the regular season, Brown was able to bounce back and put together a pair of strong performances.

Brown could have a great chance to cash in this offseason if he has a productive postseason run. It may not be an attempt to land a top-of-the-market deal at the wide receiver position, but still, many teams would shell out more money for a veteran pass catcher if he tears it up in the playoffs. Even if he were to return to Kansas City next year, Brown could still convince the Chiefs to believe in him further. His late insertion into the offense just opens things up that much more for Mahomes and his weapons.

5. Make historical figures look even more impressive

There are many simple statistics that people can find from the recent playoff showing by the Chiefs and how it compares to past NFL history. But overall, Kansas City and some players could further etch themselves with just one playoff win this postseason.

By reaching the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs will have reached the conference title for seven straight seasons. It would prolong second-longest streak in NFL history to reach the conference championship in consecutive seasons. Tom Brady’s New England Patriots have the longest streak of eight consecutive years from 2011-2018. The last of those appearances for the Patriots was a win over the Chiefs in Mahomes’ first year as a starter. Being a year shy of that record is another thing that seems unfathomable given how hard it is to win in the NFL.

From a player perspective, Mahomes has only seen his campaigns end in the conference championship or the Super Bowl. A win over the Texans means he will have reached the AFC title game every year since taking the reins in Kansas City. And if you look at his previous numbers in the divisional round, he has been outstanding. Along with a 6-0 record, Mahomes has 16 total touchdowns with no interceptionswhile completing about 70 percent of his passes in the divisional round so far.