Running back headlines are the obvious place to start when the Chiefs head to Seattle for “Sunday Night Football,” and this one comes with a lot of familiar faces and fresh pressure.
Kenneth Walker III is back in the mix for the Seahawks, and the setup around him gives this matchup some real juice. Walker, now with Kansas City after the Chiefs handed him a three-year, $43.05 million deal, was not extended by Seattle after his Super Bowl MVP season last year.
He has since turned into an eye-catching bargain, averaging an NFL-best 133 yards. According to Spotrac, he ranks as the league’s ninth-highest-paid running back at $14,350,000 per year, while Seattle never made a serious attempt to keep him.
The Seahawks tried to answer at the position by drafting Jadarian Price from Notre Dame with their first-round pick, but that plan hit an immediate snag. After three games, Price suffered a chest injury, landed on injured reserve and won’t be available this week.
Zach Charbonnet, though, is set to rejoin Seattle. He and Walker formed the Seahawks’ one-two backfield tandem last season before Charbonnet tore his ACL in an NFC Divisional Round game against the San Francisco 49ers, opening the door for Walker’s big postseason moment.
This week, Charbonnet was taken off the physically unable to perform list and then added to Seattle’s 53-man roster. Coach Mike Macdonald said he could be used “in some capacity” against the Chiefs.
Charbonnet, speaking to reporters for the first time since January, kept it simple: “just taking it a day at a time. But whenever I’m out there, it’s going to be special, and I’m just going to be happy to get back out there.”
Beyond the backfield drama, there’s plenty else to track at Lumen Field. The Seahawks have won three of the last four Super Bowls, and kickoff is set for 7:20 p.m. Central Time.
For Kansas City, the spotlight falls on left tackle Khalil Benson. The Chiefs are likely to lean on an offensive front that includes the undrafted free agent and possibly Joshua Ezeudu on the right side, with Jaylon Moore in concussion protocol after Ezeudu played his first game last week against the Chargers.
Benson has already given Kansas City five games of unexpectedly strong work, but this is shaping up as his hardest assignment yet. Seattle has piled up 16 sacks from eight different players this season.
On the other side, Seattle’s biggest weapon is receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. His numbers jump off the page: 49 catches for 717 yards, or 119.5 per game, both tops in the NFL.
He also owns the league’s longest catch this season, an 82-yarder. The Chiefs’ secondary has been solid, with cornerbacks Nohl Williams and Mansoor Delane both turning in strong seasons, but this is a different level of challenge.
“He’s the best receiver that we’ve seen without a doubt,” Chiefs defensive backs coach Dave Merritt said. “We have a lot of press and off-coverage tape on him. We are mindful of the fact that we need to have all eyes on him.”
Special teams could matter too, and Nikko Remigio is one name to watch after a rough moment last week. He lost a fumble on a punt return, a rare slip for a returner the Chiefs trust more for sound judgment and secure hands than explosive plays. Special teams coordinator Dave Toub said the turnover came when Remigio tried to field the punt on the run without signaling for a fair catch.
“He tried to do a little more than he should have,” Toub said. “He’s a reliable guy, a solid catcher.
He’s not a fumbler. It’s not in his DNA.”
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