Sunday night’s matchup puts one of the league’s hottest backs right in the path of one of its stingiest run defenses.
Kenneth Walker III comes back to Seattle with the unbeaten Kansas City Chiefs, and he’s doing it after a blistering start that has him leading the NFL with 665 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He’s averaging a league-best 6.3 yards per carry, and he’s already cleared 100 rushing yards in four of his first five games. Two of those outings went well beyond that threshold, with 170-plus yards in each.
That sets up a sharp test for the Seahawks’ “Dark Side” defense, which has gone an NFL-leading 35 straight games without giving up a 100-yard rusher, including the postseason. Seattle allowed only 3.7 yards per carry last season, best in the league, and through this year has given up just 3.5 yards per carry, the fourth-lowest figure in the NFL.
So far, the streak has held against a pretty impressive list of backs. Here’s how some of the league’s top runners have done against Seattle since the run began in Week 9 of the 2024 season.
Christian McCaffrey has been bottled up in every meeting with the Seahawks since the middle of 2024. The 49ers star has finished below 80 rushing yards in all five games, including lines of 19 carries for 79 yards in 2024, Week 11; 22 carries for 69 yards in 2025, Week 1; 8 carries for 23 yards in 2025, Week 18; 11 carries for 35 yards in the 2025 NFC divisional round; and 11 carries for 68 yards with one touchdown in 2026, Week 5. Across those five games, McCaffrey averaged 54.8 rushing yards and 3.9 yards per carry.
Jonathan Taylor also ran into a wall. In Seattle’s 18-16 win over the Colts last December, Taylor carried 25 times for 87 yards with no touchdowns. He was held to 3.5 yards per carry in that game after finishing third in the NFL in rushing last season.
Bijan Robinson’s visit to Seattle ended with similar frustration. The Falcons back had 20 carries for 86 yards and no scores in Seattle’s 37-9 win last December, when he was limited to 4.3 yards per carry. Robinson was fourth in the league in rushing yards last season.
The closest anyone has come to cracking the streak was Josh Jacobs. In the Packers’ 30-13 rout of the Seahawks in December 2024, Jacobs put up 94 yards on 26 carries and scored once. That total stands as the highest by any player during Seattle’s 35-game stretch without allowing a 100-yard rusher, though he still averaged only 3.6 yards per carry.
Now Walker gets his shot at the same defense that has kept so many backs in check. Something has to give.
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 🡒]
Chiefs Put Perfect Start On The Line Against Walkers Former Team
Kenneth Walker III has helped fuel Kansas Citys 5-0 start, giving the Chiefs another dynamic piece as they try to keep their perfect opening intact. The matchup also brings some familiarity for Seattle, which is trying to settle in as defending Super Bowl champions while navigating a 3-3 beginning that has been shaped by uneven quarterback play from Sam Darnold and injuries in the backfield.
The Seahawks have still had a dependable presence in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, whose value has only grown as the offense works through its issues. Still, this is the kind of game that can sharpen the questions around Seattles early-season identity, with the Chiefs carrying momentum and a back who knows exactly what his former team is trying to do on the other side. [Read more 🡒]