On Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs invaded Seattle to face a struggling Seahawks team that has shed doubt on their quest to become repeat Super Bowl Champions. That might have to do with the fact that their Super Bowl MVP now plays for Kansas City. In five games, the combination of Patrick Mahomes and Kenneth Walker could prove fatal for the rest of the NFL.
Nobody jumped higher than yours truly when the Kansas City Chiefs came to terms with Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III. General Manager Brett Veach gave him a three-year deal worth up to $45 million.
At the time, it was a bargain, because running backs started getting paid once Walker broke the ceiling. The Detroit Lions gave Jahmyr Gibbs a three-year, $65 million deal, and the Atlanta Falcons gave Bijan Robinson a $66.75 million contract extension.
Walker’s guarantee is significantly less ($28.7M) than Robinson’s ($51 million) and Gibbs’ ($51.5 million). Based on Walker’s success in just five games with the Chiefs, he’s not only the best free-agent signee of the 2026 class, but he’s also on pace to become the NFL’s MVP.
As for the money, I get the sense Walker, who celebrated his 26th birthday last week, isn’t complaining one bit about his contract, or that others are making more than the reigning Super Bowl MVP. At some point, that will get corrected, but that’s not his motivation.
It became clear the Seattle Seahawks had no intention of bringing back Walker, so they let him walk, and both General Manager Brett Veach and quarterback Patrick Mahomes said early in his rehab that getting Walker was the top priority.
In the opening minutes of free agency, Walker agreed to sign with the Chiefs, and suddenly Kansas City had a new shiny toy for Head Coach Andy Reid and Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy.
When camp opened, the knock on Walker was that he couldn’t be a three-down back, but he made it clear to his coaches that replaying the Seahawks’ running back committee in Kansas City wasn’t his choice.
In five games, Walker leads the NFL in rushing with 665 yards. Others have crossed the 600-yard barrier, but they’ve done it in six games. Still, Walker leads the pack, and now he returns to Seattle on the national stage to face the team that didn’t want him.
The biggest benefactor of Walker’s success has been Mahomes. After a remarkable comeback from a gruesome injury, he no longer has to be the sole reason the Chiefs win or lose games.
Instead, with an established running game, Mahomes can spread the ball anywhere he wants while teams focus on stopping Walker. That means single coverage on Tight End Travis Kelce and his young receivers.
Granted, the offense on Sunday against the Chargers was anything but a well-oiled machine, but it seemed to me that some breakdowns at left tackle and some overly vanilla playcalling near the goal line kept the Chiefs from putting up forty points on the winless Chargers.
Maybe it was rust after the Bye Week, or more likely, what the Chiefs saw in the Chargers’ film last week didn’t concern them one bit. I think it was both.
Playing a bad football team after a Bye Week probably did the Chiefs a favor in remaining unbeaten. If they’d played the Bills or another AFC powerhouse, we’d likely be talking about the Chiefs’ first loss of the season.
Yet the schedule is the schedule, and Sunday’s mistake-laden victory taught a valuable lesson: you can’t just show up and expect to win; you need to earn it.
Chiefs vs. Seahawks Preview:
Of all the games on the 2026 schedule, this might be the one I’m most looking forward to watching as a fan. The Seattle Seahawks are the defending Super Bowl Champs, and that’s noteworthy in this AFC-NFC battle.
The Chiefs want to get back to the Super Bowl, and this game could determine a lot for Kansas City. With a loss, not many would feel that much less about the Chiefs. However, a win would send a message to the NFL: they are unstoppable in any stadium.
Seattle has struggled this season, largely because of quarterback Sam Darnold. He gifted the Denver Broncos a win a week ago Thursday, and he’s had to take the reins of the offense without an effective running game. With running back Zach Charbonnet already ruled out for tonight’s game, Darnold will need to be Superman!
This game matters to the Chiefs, but it could become a signature moment for Walker, who can make a mighty statement to the Seattle faithful that he bleeds red and gold and that, between him and Mahomes, they’re indeed unbeatable.
Score Prediction: Chiefs 33 – Seahawks 24
