The Kansas City Chiefs are 3-0 after a 24-10 road win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, and the biggest reason for that start isn’t Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, or Eric Bieniemy.
It’s Kenneth Walker III.
The prized free-agent running back has been the engine behind Kansas City’s unbeaten opening stretch, and through three weeks he’s already sitting atop the league’s rushing leaderboard. Walker ripped through defenses in the first two games and came into Week 3 as the NFL’s leading rusher, making his arrival in Kansas City look every bit as dangerous as advertised.
Against Miami, he didn’t hit the same numbers he posted earlier in the season, but he still delivered a productive afternoon. Walker finished with 70 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown, plus two catches and a receiving score.
It was the first time this year he didn’t get over 100 rushing yards, and it was also the first game where he didn’t reach 20 carries. Emmett Johnson handled six rushing attempts against the Dolphins.
Even so, Walker kept forcing defenses to account for him on every snap. His rushing touchdown came right at the start of the game, and by the second quarter Miami had already managed to stuff him on back-to-back plays. That kind of sequence has been rare so far for the reigning Super Bowl MVP.
The early returns have been stronger than Kansas City could have hoped for. Walker’s production, and the volume he’s seeing, already make the reported $15 million per year look like money well spent, especially with the running back market where it is now.
Around the league, other backs have had quieter weeks, too. Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry also failed to top 100 yards in Week 3, while Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson turned heads with a 194-yard outing in Thursday Night Football’s win over the Green Bay Packers.
It’s still early - just three games into the season - but Kenneth Walker III has already made a strong case as the offseason’s most important signing. The Chiefs now head into Week 4 to face the undefeated Las Vegas Raiders.
In Other News...
Brittany Mahomes Had A Different Focus After Chiefs Controversy
The Chiefs left Sunday night with another win, improving to 3-0 after beating the Dolphins 24-10 in a game that had no shortage of talking points. Miami had plenty to gripe about after a handful of controversial penalties went against the visitors, including a roughing-the-passer call on pass rusher Chop Robinson, and the officiating chatter quickly became part of the postgame conversation around Kansas City.
Brittany Mahomes took a different tack on social media, focusing on the crowd and the atmosphere rather than the penalty debate. It fit the mood inside Arrowhead, where the Chiefs keep finding ways to stack wins even as outside noise follows them from week to week. [Read more 🡒]
Brittany Mahomes Just Weighed In On The Chiefs Hottest Sunday Debate
The Chiefs 24-10 win over the Dolphins on Sunday pushed Kansas City to 3-0, but the postgame chatter quickly shifted away from the score and toward the flags. Miami took issue with several penalties, including a roughing-the-passer call against pass rusher Chop Robinson, and the officiating debate gave the victory an immediate second life online.
Brittany Mahomes stepped into the conversation on social media, though not by taking on the controversy head-on. Instead, Patrick Mahomes wife chose to highlight the Chiefs crowd, a reminder that even in a game with plenty of frustration on the other sideline, the home support at Arrowhead still tends to get the last word. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Fans Finally Have Ammo In The Refs Debate
The latest round of officiating debate has given Chiefs fans something they have not had much of in recent seasons: a data-backed argument. After a roughing-the-passer call went against the Dolphins and a pass-interference decision helped the Broncos, the conversation around NFL penalties widened again, and the numbers point to Kansas City as one of the teams that has not exactly been living on the favorable side of the ledger.
Paul Foellers FORCE ranking, which measures how teams fare in penalty luck, places the Chiefs among the least benefited clubs in the league. It is the kind of finding that does not settle every argument about officiating, but it does give Kansas City supporters a little more ammunition the next time the flag debate flares up, especially with the Chargers sitting at the top of the impact chart. [Read more 🡒]