The Chiefs have spent this season looking like the version of themselves they expected to be all along, and Kenneth Walker III has been a major reason why. Kansas City comes into Week 7 at 5-0, with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes getting a major boost from the running back they signed away from Seattle in the offseason.
Walker has been as explosive as advertised and then some. His burst to the edge, his patience behind blocks and his pure speed have turned him into a nightmare for defenses trying to keep contain.
He leads the league with 665 rushing yards, is averaging 6.3 yards per carry and is putting up 133.0 yards per game. That kind of production has taken pressure off Mahomes and given the Chiefs a running game they can lean on.
That setup is bad news for the Seahawks, who now have to deal with Walker on the other sideline. Seattle is allowing the fewest yards per game in the NFL, but its rush defense ranks 10th, and the Chiefs are likely to keep attacking that area until it cracks. This looks like the kind of night where Walker reminds Seattle exactly what it lost.
For the Seahawks, the bigger issue is that they still need more from Sam Darnold. Seattle is 3-3, 3.0 games behind the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West, and the offense has not been steady enough. Darnold has the experience to handle the moment, but the accuracy problems that have shown up in some of the Seahawks’ losses have left him with a 7-7 TD-interception ratio.
Seattle wants balance, and that starts with the ground game. Last year, that formula worked with Walker and Zach Charbonnet rolling together.
This season has been much rougher. Charbonnet has not played yet because of an ACL injury, though he is expected to suit up this week.
Emanuel Wilson leads the team with 303 rushing yards, a 3.5 yards per carry average and two rushing touchdowns. Rookie Jadarian Price has been limited to 28 carries and 119 yards because of a chest injury, though he is also inching closer to returning.
Still, the Seahawks have one weapon that can change the game in a hurry: Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He has been targeted 65 times and has produced 49 catches for 717 yards and seven touchdowns.
His speed, route running, body control and reliable hands make him a problem for any secondary, and the Chiefs’ pass defense - which ranks 13th and is allowing 217.2 yards per game - gives him a chance to do damage. Smith-Njigba is set up to go over 125 receiving yards.
Kansas City is also carrying plenty of motivation. The Chiefs are still stinging from last year’s 6-11 finish and third place in the AFC West, a season they want to bury as an outlier. Seattle needs the win just as badly, but its 12 turnovers give an opportunistic opponent plenty to exploit.
In the end, the matchup points back to Walker and Mahomes. Walker should keep Kansas City rolling, and Mahomes is expected to make the decisive throws late to send the resurgent Chiefs home with another victory.
In Other News...
Seahawks Suddenly Have A Running Back Decision Fans Didnt Expect
With the NFL trade deadline approaching and the backfield picture starting to shift, the Seahawks are suddenly in a position where they may have to decide whether to add at running back or move pieces out to make room. Injuries around the league, the possible return of healthier options in Seattle, and the chance to chase a bigger name all have the front office looking at a group that includes Emanuel Wilson, George Holani and Zach Charbonnet.
What makes this a little more intriguing is the contract side of it. Wilson, Holani and Charbonnet are all on expiring deals, which gives Seattle some flexibility if it wants to pursue another runner, whether that means a splashier target or simply more depth. Charbonnets recovery from ACL surgery only adds another layer to the discussion, because the Seahawks still have to weigh what he can be coming off the injury against what the roster might need in the short term. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Just Got A Painful Kenneth Walker Reminder From Mike Macdonald
Kenneth Walker III has stayed in the conversation around Seattle even after moving on, and Mike Macdonald made sure of that during a recent SiriusXM NFL Radio appearance. The Seahawks coach was complimentary about the running backs work with the Kansas City Chiefs, pointing to Walkers strong play and the way he has backed it up with some of the leagues top statistical production.
For Seattle, the reminder stings a little because Walker was not kept on the franchise tag earlier this year before landing a three-year deal with Kansas City. Macdonalds comments arrived just as the Chiefs are set to face the Seahawks, adding a little extra weight to a matchup that already carries an obvious layer of familiarity and second-guessing. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Loss To Denver Now Comes With A Costly New Question
The Seahawks loss to Denver has picked up a little extra after-the-fact attention, with the league handing down fines from the matchup for plays that drew discipline on both sides. Seattle players Ty Okada and Mike Morris were each fined, one for illegal helmet use and the other for tripping, adding an uneasy postscript to a game the team would rather move past.
There was also a costly response from the other sideline, as Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton was fined for illegal helmet use on a late hit against Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. All of the fines can still be appealed, so the final bill from a bruising afternoon in Denver is not necessarily set in stone. [Read more 🡒]