KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs carried a legacy of great running backs into this season, but only one had ever gone for more than 1,000 yards as a rookie in their uniform.

That changed Sunday in the Chiefs' 26-15 win over the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium. Kareem Hunt topped 1,000 yards, joining the late Joe Delaney as the only rookies to do so for the Chiefs. Delaney accomplished it in 1981.

Hunt's achievement was a point of pride in the locker room afterward.

"The way he's carried himself, how much he cares, how much he invests, you know how much it means to him," quarterback Alex Smith said. "I think there's not a guy on this team that's not happy for him."

Even the soft-spoken Hunt acknowledged how much 1,000 yards means to him.

"It's a huge accomplishment," Hunt said. "Nobody can ever take that away from you."

Hunt has three games to get the 76 yards he needs to pass Delaney's 1,121 yards and become the Chiefs' all-time single-season rookie rushing leader.

Hunt broke 1,000 yards in a game in which he at long last had an impact. He rushed for 116 yards, the first time he topped 100 since a Week 5 win over the Houston Texans. He also had a touchdown, his first since a Week 3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

The return of a productive running game was a relief to the Chiefs. They had 165 yards rushing, including 25 yards and a touchdown from Charcandrick West and 24 yards from Smith.

The Chiefs haven't had more than 165 yards rushing since a Week 4 win over the Washington Redskins.

"I think had we had the opportunity a little bit last week," Smith said, "I think you would have seen something similar. The way the plays worked out, we had such few opportunities.

"I liked it. We mixed it up. Certainly when we got into the meat of the game, I think you saw a little more with that. [The Chiefs were] able to take our shots there with Kareem and I thought he ran hard, the offensive line blocked great."