From Seattle to Kansas City, Kenneth Walker III’s Rise Has Created a Stark Contrast (Getty Images)
He left as the Super Bowl LX MVP after rushing for 135 yards, then signed a three-year, $45 million deal with Kansas City. Through five games, he leads the league with 665 rushing yards and a 6.3 average.
The Seahawks never offered him an extension before free agency, according to The Athletic. He has also scored six rushing touchdowns. Seattle ranks 31st in EPA per rush. That choice looks costly now.
Kenneth Walker III faces the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night, and few running backs have arrived at a reunion in better form.
Kansas City has not had a 1,000-yard rusher in the Patrick Mahomes era. Walker has already passed the 611 yards Kareem Hunt led the team with all of last season. Walker has 106 carries, or 21.2 per game, which puts him on pace for about 360. He never carried 228 times in a season with the Seahawks. Seattle split the work with Zach Charbonnet after drafting him in 2023. Last season the Chiefs ran 196 plays from under center, 40 of them passes. They already have 121 through five games, again with 40 passes. Play-action throws are at 57, compared with 150 all of last year, and Kansas City ranks sixth in EPA per pass at 0.27, per Next Gen Stats. It was 16th at 0.05. The Chiefs have trailed only against the Colts in Week 2 and the Raiders in Week 4, and never by more than seven, so they never had to abandon the run. The Seahawks rank 31st in EPA per rush at minus 0.24, while Walker leads the league at 0.12 per attempt. Price had 119 yards at 4.3 a carry before his Week 3 injury, fumbles aside.
That drought will not last long. He is also getting the ball more than ever. In Kansas City, the backfield is his alone. The run game has changed how the whole offense looks. Being ahead has helped. Seattle has the opposite problem. Injuries explain a lot. Charbonnet is working back from a torn ACL suffered in the divisional round, and first-round pick Jadarian Price is on injured reserve. Without both, Sam Darnold has had little help from the ground.