Moments after Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III ripped off a 33-yard touchdown run Sunday inside Arrowhead Stadium, the CBS broadcast showed a sign held by a Seattle Seahawks fan wearing a royal blue jersey amid a sea of Chiefs red. The sign read: "COME BACK HOME K9!! PLZ!!!"
After the 22-6 Chiefs win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Walker scrolled through text messages from family and friends that included a screenshot of the same fan. "That was crazy," Walker said. "I've never seen something like that before." Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes called it "hilarious" and said, "He's a game changer."
In five games, Walker has been just that. He has 665 rushing yards, already surpassing Kareem Hunt's 611 from last season, along with 152 scrimmage yards per game and eight total touchdowns. He joined Hall of Famer Jim Brown as just the second player to record at least 600 rushing yards, at least six rushing scores and multiple receiving touchdowns through the first five games. He is also the early-season betting favorite for AP Offensive Player of the Year. Walker signed a three-year, $43.05 million deal with Kansas City in March, including $28.7 million fully guaranteed.
The Seahawks let Walker leave in free agency one month after he was named MVP of their Super Bowl LX victory, a decision that has been second-guessed amid their 3-3 start. Without him, Seattle ranks 18th in rushing yards per game, struggling to find consistent production with rookie first-round pick Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet both sidelined by injuries.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said he has great respect for Walker and enjoyed having him on the team. "You're happy for him, but also, we're trying to figure out ways to stop this guy, too, because he's playing at a really high level." Walker and the 5-0 Chiefs face his former team at Lumen Field in a Sunday primetime game.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing