When the Seattle Seahawks host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7's edition of Sunday Night Football, most of the attention will be zeroed in on one player in particular.
Kenneth Walker III won Super Bowl MVP honors with the Seahawks back in February and is the NFL's leading rusher for the Chiefs. Eight months later, for the first time since leaving Seattle in free agency, Walker returns to Lumen Field for a chance to take on his former team.
This is a game that has been circled ever since the schedule came out in May, and the stage is set for one of the biggest rivalry games of the year.
Seahawks D-Line vs. Kenneth Walker III Will Decide Who Wins
Walker has picked up where he left off in the postseason for the Seahawks. So far this season, in his first five games with the Chiefs, he has run for over 70 yards in every matchup. Walker has found the end zone in four out of his five games, including a pair in each of the last two games, both of which were wins against divisional opponents. Through five weeks, Walker has 665 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
Walker leads the league in rushing yards and is only behind Jamir Gibbs (Detroit Lions), Javonte Williams (Dallas Cowboys), Jonathan Taylor (Indianapolis Colts), Derrick Henry (Baltimore Ravens), and Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills) in rushing touchdowns.
Seahawks Have Defense to Contain Walker
If there is anyone who knows Walker's rushing tendencies, it's the Seahawks' defensive line that went up against him in practice for the first four years of his career. So far this season, the Seahawks have allowed just 96 yards per game to opposing running backs, which ranks in the top 10 of the NFL. It's the best rush defense the Chiefs have faced this season, and it should test Walker more than he has been over the past couple of weeks.
Walker has added a lot of dynamism to the Chiefs' offense, and we haven't seen them face adversity quite yet. Kansas City has relied on Walker because he's been playing about as well as anyone in the NFL. If the Seahawks can find a way to silence him, or at least contain him to a normal production rate, Seattle could exit the matchup with a major win to get them back on track.
Kickoff between the Chiefs and Seahawks is scheduled for Sunday at 5:20 pm PT inside Lumen Field. Fans can watch the game on NBC or stream it on Peacock.
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