KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Go back to the replay, and you can see it clearly.
The exact moment Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes springs forward to set a block is when he watches teammate Kenneth Walker III running to the right -- and when Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson has both arms around Walker in an attempt to tackle him.
This was the second quarter of the Chiefs' 22-6 home victory Sunday, but it's worth pausing again to reflect on the absurdity here.
When Mahomes saw a 317-pound defender wrapping up Walker on the front side of a red-zone rush, he had one immediate thought that would never have crossed his mind a season ago:
I'd better go block the backside.
"The first guy never tackles him," Mahomes said later with a smile, talking about Walker. "I know that (defender) isn't going to get him."
Perhaps this snapshot best encapsulates how Walker has shifted the Chiefs' offensive thoughts this season.
Mahomes wasn't hoping for magic from the team's free-agent back on this snap; instead, he expected it.
And the wildest part? The QB was absolutely right.
Mahomes shuffled his body forward to shield Chargers linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu, who was multiple gaps away from where the run was designed to go.
No matter.
Walker stuck a stiff arm into Tomlinson's chest to shake free, then quickly reversed backside, following Mahomes' path before diving into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown.
"He usually sees the cutback before I do, and then he goes down and blocks the guy," Walker said of Mahomes. "That's real unselfish."
Or maybe just smart -- especially considering what Walker has shown so far in 2026.
The Chiefs are 5-0, and one thing is clear through the first month and a half with the team's offense back to humming at an elite level: Walker's addition has been the biggest reason.
He rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns again Sunday, and suddenly, his early-season numbers have historic company.
How many NFL running backs have at least 750 scrimmage yards and eight touchdowns through their first five games? Walker is the sixth NFL player to do so, and the first in 25 seasons.
And that list? It includes four Hall of Famers (Jim Brown, Eric Dickerson, Marshall Faulk, Emmitt Smith) and also former Chiefs star Priest Holmes.
Walker also posted his fourth multi-touchdown effort in five games. He's only the second player since the 1970 merger to accomplish that, joining Lions Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson Jr.
"He's one of the best running backs I've ever played with," Chiefs right guard Trey Smith said.
"He's a stud," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said.
"Obviously, having (No.) 9," Mahomes said of Walker's number, "it makes a difference both throwing and running."
Mahomes' point is one worth expanding on, too.
Walker hasn't just been a human highlight reel -- though that's an accurate statement, considering he's lapping the NFL in missed tackles forced (with 52, per NFL Next Gen Stats).
Just as important, however, is that he's helped make Mahomes' job easier. His presence has forced defenses to respect the Chiefs' run game, which has propelled the Chiefs to one of the NFL's best offenses in play-action.
Walker's value might never have been more evident than Sunday.
The Chiefs entered the week with major offensive personnel questions. They were without starting wideouts Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton because of injury, and they lost starting right tackle Jaylon Moore in the first half to a concussion. Always-reliable tight end Travis Kelce, meanwhile, tweaked his ankle in the first quarter, which limited him for a while as he tried to get comfortable again.
In short: Mahomes was missing a lot of his offense. The person who wasn't absent, though? That would be Walker.
And thanks mostly to Walker and Mahomes, the Chiefs offense gashed the Chargers for a healthy 7.4 yards per play -- the 13th-best mark by any offense this season, per TruMedia.
There will be tougher tests ahead. That starts next week, when Walker faces his old team -- the Seattle Seahawks -- in a road matchup fitting for its "Sunday Night Football" audience.
For one more week, though, Walker was so good that he remained the team's top headline, while leaving those around him searching for more ways to describe what they're seeing.
"Knows how to run the ball. Knows how to set up runs. There's an art to that -- the patience it takes and vision and all those things the great ones have," Reid said. "He has all of that."
The best compliment Walker received Sunday, though, likely came from Mahomes. And it wasn't in words but in actions.
After the Chiefs quarterback handed the ball to Walker in the second quarter, Mahomes began to see the future.
And because of that, Mahomes knew he needed to throw his first block of the season.
"With Kenneth," Mahomes said with a grin, "you've got to be ready."
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
