Eight months ago, Kenneth Walker III was hoisting the Super Bowl MVP trophy for *our* Seahawks, having carried the offense on his back. Now, the Memphis native is coming back to Lumen Field as the league’s leading rusher for the 5-0 Kansas City Chiefs, and you know Ernest Jones IV has this Sunday circled on his calendar. Our Seahawks linebacker saw Walker’s unique skill set up close for years, and now he’s tasked with trying to shut down his former teammate in a nationally televised game. This is gonna be personal.
The MVP Who Got Away: Walker’s Dominance and Seattle’s Defensive Gauntlet
Walker is absolutely balling out for his new team, and he is a huge reason the Chiefs are sitting pretty at 5-0. He’s rejuvenated Patrick Mahomes and that KC offense, leading the entire league in rushing with 665 yards in just five games, and that’s *after* their bye week. Think about that for a second. The dude has rushed for over 100 yards in four of his five games this season. Meanwhile, our Seahawks have 643 rushing yards *as a team* through six games. Oof. We lost Walker to the Chiefs in free agency when the front office decided not to use the franchise tag, and he signed a three-year, $43.05 million contract in March. You know everyone in the Emerald City is second-guessing that decision right now, especially with us scuffling at 3-3. But Ernest Jones IV isn’t backing down. “We’ve got our hands full,” Jones told me. “He’s playing at a really high level , an Offensive Player of the Year type level. We just want to go out there and stop him. Keeping him to a minimum of yards would be a best-case scenario with a guy like him.”
Ernest Jones IV and the Unbreakable Streak: Pride of the D
Jones isn’t just talking, he’s walking the walk. The Seahawks haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher since Week 8 of the 2024 season, when James Cook of the Buffalo Bills ran for 111 yards. That’s a ridiculous streak of 35 straight games! Jones has been Seattle’s green-dot, defensive play caller for that entire stretch, and he takes serious pride in that mark. “It only probably means something to me,” Jones admitted, “Just being in the middle of that defense, I’m pretty sure I think about it more than any of the other guys.” In his third year in Head Coach Mike Macdonald’s system, Jones told me he’s the most comfortable playing inside linebacker as a pro, and it shows big time. He’s second in the league in combined tackles with 59, including three tackles for loss. Plus, he’s got three sacks, an interception, and three pass deflections. Our Seahawks defense leads the NFL in total yards allowed per game with a stingy 237, and they’re tied for the top spot in takeaways with 11. Jones knows they’ll need every bit of that playmaking to contain Walker. “It’s rallying to the football, staying disciplined and just tackling,” Jones told me. “You’ve got to tackle well. You can’t give him an opportunity to continue to make people miss, because he’s dynamic at doing that. He’s a really, really good back.” The reason General Manager John Schneider let Walker walk? His injury history. The guy we drafted in the second round in 2022 struggled to stay on the field, playing all 17 games in just one season over four years. But man, that doesn’t make it any easier to watch him tear it up somewhere else.
So, get ready, 12s! This Sunday at Lumen Field isn’t just another game. It’s a reunion with a Super Bowl MVP, a test of our defense’s incredible streak, and a chance for Ernest Jones IV to prove that even a guy playing at an Offensive Player of the Year level can be contained by the green and blue. Let’s make some noise and show Walker what he’s missing.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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