Kenneth Walker III's first game in Kansas City went as advertised.
The running back, signed in the offseason to revamp a sluggish ground game, galloped through the Denver Broncos defense to the tune of 173 rushing yards, including a 60-yard TD blast, and added 18 yards on three catches with another score in Monday night's 31-10 Chiefs win.
Walker's physicality, ability to break tackles, and home-run capacity were game-changers for an offense that previously leaned too heavily on Patrick Mahomes making magic.
"I told you all, literally, like first press conference. Y'all were asking, what's the difference with our offense? And I said, K9. Like, it's just that simple," Mahomes said after the win, via the team's official transcript. "It's the way he's able to run the ball, catch the ball. I threw a little hot to him there on that read that was probably going to be a big play but it's just a special ability to run the ball tough between the tackles and then when he does bounce it, he has the speed to go all the way and so we'll utilize him."
Walker set career highs with his 173 rushing yards and 191 scrimmage yards. After sharing the backfield with Zach Charbonnet in Seattle, Walker fit seamlessly in K.C. as the top dog.
"You know you've got to be making yards, and for him to play the way that he did, I thought it was spectacular," said coach Andy Reid. "It was something you hope for and you got to see it, where he was the main guy there, and he did a great job with it. I'll also say that our (RB) Emmett (Johnson) did a nice job too when he had an opportunity to get in there. Both those guys are contact balances, ridiculous and so they got a lot of yards after contact. And that's a special thing to have there."
Walker picked up where he left off last season, winning the Super Bowl MVP with the Seattle Seahawks. His 191 scrimmage yards were the most by a reigning Super Bowl MVP in Week 1, surpassing the previous record of 180 set by Hall of Famer Jerry Rice in 1989, per NFL Research. His career-high 173 rushing yards in Week 1 are the second-highest by any veteran in their debut with a new team, behind Michael Turner's 220-yard performance in his 2008 debut with the Falcons.
Perhaps most notable: Walker's 173 rushing yards were also the most by any player in a game started by Mahomes.
The Chiefs have employed an afterthought rushing attack for most of Mahomes' reign. They have never had a 1,000-yard rusher since the QB took over as the starter, and the last several seasons have been highly inefficient. Walker's arrival changed that instantly.
Walker's ability to create splash plays completely changes the K.C. offense. He generated 101 rushing yards over expected, per Next Gen Stats, and forced a whopping 14 missed tackles. The RB showed all of his attributes, including game-breaking speed on a 60-yard touchdown.
"We ran the play a few times," Walker said of his 60-yard score. "I knew they were going to crash in, so when they crashed in, I just bounced it out. I was one-on-one with the corner, I outran him and it was off to the races from there."
The 60-yard scamper was the Chiefs' longest run since 2019 -- when Damien Williams had TD runs of 91 and 84 yards. Over the past two seasons, the longest run by any K.C. player was 35 yards (WR Xavier Worthy).
The Chiefs force-fed Walker the ball 26 times, including 23 carries, reinforcing their belief that he's a three-down player.
"It means a lot," Walker said of the workload. "It means they trust me. It's good to feel that way."
Starting undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson at left tackle, the Chiefs knew pounding the rock would be the most prudent way to protect the young blocker. That it fit perfectly with the revamped plan this offseason was a bonus.
"The offensive line took it as a challenge to go up against this defense and set the tone, and they did that," Mahomes said. "And so even though the pass game didn't click the way we wanted it to click, early especially, it set the tone for the entire game of how we were going to move the ball down the field."
