KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- After each game during the Kansas City Chiefs' recent slide, running back Kareem Hunt is asked some version of the same question: What’s wrong with the running game?
Like his teammates and coaches, Hunt doesn’t have a solid answer. His reply after Sunday’s 12-9 loss to the New York Giants was typical.
“[Opposing defenses] focus on the run a lot,’’ said Hunt, who had one of his better games in the past five by rushing for 73 yards against the Giants. “We have to fix some things and get it going.
“We know we are better than this. We are going to fix it and get back on a roll.’’
Perhaps, yet the Chiefs have had that kind of resolve before and then displayed only minor improvement, if any, on game day. But the sense of urgency is no less because the drastic drop in what the Chiefs are getting from their running game is a factor in the slide. The Chiefs, who started the season at 5-0, have lost four of their past five games.
The running game has become a particular problem for the Chiefs on first down. During the five-game winning streak, the Chiefs averaged 6.9 yards per first-down rush. They scored five touchdowns on first-down rushing plays and gained a fresh set of downs on 19.5 percent of all such plays. All were league bests.
In the past five games, the Chiefs are averaging 3.0 yards per first-down carry (27th in the NFL). They gain a fresh set of downs on 9 percent (22nd) of such plays and are one of six teams without a rushing TD on a first-down snap.
Their bigger offensive problems won’t be corrected until the Chiefs fix that.
“That’s tough, for sure,’’ quarterback Alex Smith said. “You’re behind the chains. It’s hard to play that way when everything is second-and-long.
"And then when you’re clipping off runs and the run game is rolling, you really have everything at your disposal."
The Chiefs have 18 pass plays of 20 yards or more in their past five games, which is four more than they had in the first five games. They also scored more touchdowns on such plays (five in the past five games, three in the first five).
But their long running plays are well down. The Chiefs had nine runs of 20 yards or more with three TDs in the first five games. They have one such run (no TDs) since.