Remember last season’s Super Bowl run for our Seahawks? It was electric, and for one guy watching at home, it was also pure panic. Kenneth Walker III was absolutely tearing it up for the Emerald City, carving up defenses and making everyone forget about their problems. But Kansas City Chiefs general manager Brett Veach wasn’t just watching; he was sweating, firing off a text to Patrick Mahomes in the moment because he thought Walker III was pricing himself out of the Chiefs’ reach.
K9’s Playoff Showcase Had the League on Notice
Our guy, Kenneth Walker III, already had three of the Seahawks’ four longest gains late in that Super Bowl, well on his way to earning Super Bowl MVP. He even busted a 49-yard touchdown run that got called back by penalty, but the damage was done. Veach told ESPN’s Pat McAfee in May that he’d been thinking about Walker III as a Chiefs savior since last “November or December.” But watching him dominate, Veach texted Mahomes: “I said, ‘He’s gonna run right to another team,’ because there weren’t a lot of running backs available.” This incredible playoff showcase for K9 was partly due to an injury to Zach Charbonnet, which meant Walker III took on a massive workload. He was on the field more for third downs and in the red zone, grinding out inside runs, and even saw his receiving footprint increase. Our workhorse was back.
In Seattle’s three playoff games, Walker III ran for a stunning 313 yards and four scores, adding nine catches for 104 yards. He crossed the century mark for scrimmage yards in all three games. It was the best three-game stretch, production-wise, since the end of his rookie season. The Chiefs saw enough.
Kansas City Was Desperate and K9 Was the Answer
Kansas City was in a rough spot. Mahomes was a month removed from ACL surgery, the team was coming off its worst season in over a decade, Travis Kelce was mulling retirement, Rashee Rice was in hot water off the field, and they’d even switched offensive coordinators. They limped to a 6-11 record after a 5-3 start, losing to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 18. Head coach Andy Reid admitted in early January what the problem was: their play-action game wasn’t getting “enough reaction” from defenses. “There wasn’t enough respect there that needs to be given,” Reid said. Mahomes himself highlighted the issue even earlier, before a Week 3 game against the New York Giants, pointing to the need to “trust in the run game.”
The Chiefs moved fast. In the opening hour of free agency, Kenneth Walker III accepted their offer. It was the most the team ever spent on a running back, a move considered completely “out of character” for Andy Reid. But they needed a wingman for a potentially less than full-health Mahomes. They found him in our Super Bowl hero.
Now, everyone will be watching to see if Kenneth Walker III can give Patrick Mahomes the relief he needs to truly be Patrick Mahomes again. For us, it’s a reminder of what we had, and what we showed the league.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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