CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Kareem Hunt got to live a dream this season helping to carry his hometown Browns back to the playoffs.
That magical ride came to a screeching halt Sunday in Kansas City as the team that drafted and released him advanced to the AFC Championship game for the third consecutive season with a 22-17 victory over him and the Browns.
“I love those guys. That is a great team, and they are great players and great people out there,” Hunt said Tuesday. “It doesn’t really hurt more. I just really wanted to win the championship. Hey, if anybody is winning it, I am happy for them. That is a good football team. Those guys work hard and they deserve it, especially since they have a good coaching staff and just good people all around over there.”
In the third quarter Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a concussion when he was brought down by linebacker Mack Wilson.
Chiefs All-Pro and Pro Bowl tight end, Travis Kelce, who is also a Cleveland native, and others felt the play was dirty, a notion Wilson and several Browns disputed. Mahomes and Wilson had a respectful exchange on Twitter after the game and the 2018 NFL MVP and Super Bowl LIV MVP appeared to harbor no hard feelings.
His status for the AFC Championship game against the Buffalo Bills remains unknown.
“Prayers to my brother,” Hunt said. “I hope he is feeling alright, and I hope he has a chance to get out there again this season and play next week. You never want to see somebody go down, especially a concussion and especially the type of guy like that. I wish him the best, and I hope he gets healthy.”
The loss to the Chiefs leaves Hunt and the Browns, who finished 11-5 and advanced in the playoffs for the first time since the 1994 season, wanting more.
“That is a good football team,” Hunt, who scored a touchdown in the second half Sunday, said. “We will just take it with us next year – remember how we got there and what we have to do to find a way to win. We definitely have to learn from it and get better.”
Hunt appears to have rebuilt his life off the field and found himself once again on it, reestablishing himself as a dangerous weapon by totaling 1,145 yards from scrimmage and 11 total touchdowns coming out of the backfield with Nick Chubb.
Cleveland rewarded Hunt’s efforts with a two-year, $13.25 million contract extension in September keeping him in Cleveland through the 2022 season.
“I think just playing football suits me well,” Hunt said. “Any opportunity I get, I try to make the most of them because they do not come that often.”