The guy had a lot to smile about after the game.
Kansas City Chiefs' fourth-year running back Charcandrick West, who is rarely not showing the world how happy he always is, finished Sunday's 42-34 victory over the Houston Texans with two catches for 12 yards—both of which resulted in touchdowns, and a blitz pickup to be remembered during an impressive two-minute drill for the Chiefs' offense at the end of the first half.
Having already grabbed an 8-yard touchdown on a scramble play from quarterback Alex Smith a couple of series earlier, West had, in his words, the best block of his career "by far" during the start of the Chiefs' drive that began at their own 25-yard line with 1:49 remaining in the first half.
At the time, the Chiefs' lead had just been cut to 16-7 after Texans' rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson found receiver DeAndre Hopkins for a 6-yard touchdown.
The Chiefs would have to execute the two-minute offense if they were to add to their lead late in the first half. It's a situation they've spent plenty of time practicing this offseason.
On first-and-10, the Texans' blitzed cornerback Kareem Jackson off the left side, and West, who was lined up to Smith's right in shotgun, had to come across the formation to pick him up.
"If you know my coach (running backs' coach Eric Bieniemy), you know that's the most important thing," West explained of his pass protection. "I mean, he knows we can all run the ball, but he focuses big on protecting the quarterback. He tells us if you can't protect the quarterback, you can't play.
"So, I mean if I want to keep my job, I better pick up some blitzes."
West picked up the blitz, for sure. He lowered his shoulder and went right after Jackson, who went end-over-end before hitting the ground to an audible gasp from the 70,000 or so in attendance at NRG Stadium in Houston.
"That's not an easy thing to do," Chiefs coach Andy Reid added of that block. "That was huge. I think with all our backs, one of the things we like to have is guys who can catch. We feel like we can teach them the blocking part of it, as long as they're willing.
"West has picked up on that pretty quick."
Smith was able to scramble off the right side and pick up seven yards to begin the drive.
After a couple of passes to tight end Travis Kelce that gained 36 yards, and a nice hookup to tight end Demetrius Harris, the Chiefs had gotten to within striking distance quickly.
Then, on first-and-goal from the 4-yard line, West snuck out to the right flat and Smith found him on the outside, allowing West to catch the ball, look up field, and show some nice footwork to get into the end zone. It was the second touchdown catch of the day for West, who made the most of his two catches on the day.
"He takes a lot of pride in the role that he plays," Reid added. "He's been the starter, did that well. Now he's asked to kind of be the relief pitcher and he's doing that well. He's got a great feel for the pass game, and he knows protections well. Smart kid."
West has become a mentor for rookie Kareem Hunt, who finished the game with his fifth-straight game with at least 100 yards from scrimmage, which makes him just the second player in NFL history to ever accomplish that in the first five games of his career.
The other player to do that? Former Minnesota Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson in 2007, and his running backs' that year? Eric Bieniemy.
On the night, Hunt carried the ball 29 times for 107 yards, and caught three passes for nine yards. He still leads the NFL with 609 yards rushing.
"The mean the thing about our team and our room is it's special," West said after the game. "I feel like there's not any other running back room, or any room in particular, as close as we are. We really consider each other family. We're all out there playing together…I feel like that's why we're sitting at 5-0 right now.
"We keep that attitude and that mindset, we'll be OK."
