Kenneth Walker III has emerged as Kansas City’s offensive difference-maker (Getty Images)
Walker rushed for 177 yards and two touchdowns against the Raiders, pushing his season total to 537 yards. He is averaging 6.2 yards per carry through four games, an extraordinary figure even before considering the volume. His 537 rushing yards have come on the back of three straight strong performances after his 173-yard, two-touchdown debut in Week 1. Walker followed that opening performance with 117 rushing yards and six catches for 61 yards against Indianapolis. He then added 70 rushing yards and scored once on the ground and once through the air against Miami. He carried 22 times for 177 yards and two touchdowns, giving Kansas City another game in which the run game could dictate how the offense operated. His three-year, $45 million contract came with expectations, and he has quickly made the investment look justified. His 537 yards are ahead of Marcus Allen, Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, Jamaal Charles and Kareem Hunt through four games, according to the historical comparison cited by Men’s Journal. Walker’s 537 yards have edged DeMarco Murray’s 534 from 2014. Derrick Henry’s 510-yard opening to 2021 ranks third, followed by Hunt’s 502 and Henry’s 480 in 2024. If Walker reaches 1,000 yards and keeps producing at anything close to this level, Kansas City will have far more than a hot start on its hands.
Kenneth Walker III has not just given Kansas City a productive running back. Through four games, he has changed what the Chiefs can ask of their offense. That is the most by a Chiefs player through four games and enough to move him past DeMarco Murray for the best opening four-game rushing total in NFL history. The numbers explain part of Walker’s impact, but the larger change is how much pressure he has taken off Kansas City’s passing game. The Raiders game took things up another level. Kansas City is the AFC’s final undefeated team, and Walker has become a major reason for that start. Walker has already moved into a part of Chiefs history usually occupied by much bigger names. The NFL comparison is even more striking. The more useful benchmark will come later. It will have a running game capable of changing the shape of the offense for the rest of the season.