NFL Playoffs Conference Championship RB Power Rankings: Where Kareem Hunt, James Cook stand

Modified Jan 20, 2025 16:09 GMT

RB power rankings for Conference Championships (GETTY)

The conference championship round of the NFL Playoffs features the final four teams on their quest to potentially win a Super Bowl ring. Every team that makes it to this point in the season is loaded with talented players on both sides of the football, including at their running back positions.

The ground game often becomes even more important during the playoffs than it is during the regular season, so it makes sense that all four remaining teams have solid players at the running back position. Three of them use multiple backs in their offensive schemes regularly, with the exception of the Philadelphia Eagles, where Saquon Barkley dominates the backfield workload.

Kareem Hunt will be an interesting player to watch during the conference championship round when the Kansas City Chiefs face the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium. While Isiah Pacheco is still listed as their starting running back, Hunt outperformed him in recent weeks as the two of them share the backfield workload.

Across the Chiefs' past three games, Hunt has received 28 carries against 20 for Pacheco. Hunt has turned that into 119 rushing yards and has scored a touchdown in each of those three games. Pacheco has yet to find the endzone during that stretch and has rushed for just 62 yards. This suggests that Hunt will likely be a bigger factor for the Chiefs in the conference championship round against the Bills.

Looking to predict NFL playoff Scenarios? Try our NFL Playoff Predictor for real-time simulations and stay ahead of the game!

Opposing them will be James Cook, who has been one of the most underrated running backs this season in his impressive campaign for the Bills. He tied for the NFL lead with 16 rushing touchdowns in the regular season and eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards. In just two playoff games this year, he has totaled 40 carries for 187 yards and a touchdown, so he has been one of the focal points of their offensive game plan.

He has excelled despite the Bills also utilizing Ray Davis and Ty Johnson in their schemes, making his run even more impressive. Here's where he and the rest of the running backs stand in the power rankings entering the Conference Championship round of the NFL Playoffs this year.