Kansas City signed Kenneth Walker III to a three-year deal worth up to $45 million and got the entire investment back in one night.
Walker torched the Denver Broncos for 173 rushing yards and a touchdown on 23 carries in the Chiefs’ 31-10 Monday night win at Arrowhead, adding a receiving touchdown and 18 yards through the air on three catches. Denver had no answer at any point.
The numbers put him in historic territory. According to OptaSTATS, Walker became the first player since Bo Jackson in 1987 to post at least 150 rushing yards, a rushing touchdown of 60-plus yards, a receiving touchdown, and more net yards and points than the entire opposing team in the same game.
Bo Jackson. In 1987. For the Los Angeles Raiders. That is the last time anyone did this.
The Advanced Numbers Are Worse for Denver
Walker forced 14 missed tackles, per ESPN, and finished with 101 rushing yards over expected. Denver’s defense surrendered 247 yards after missed tackles, the most by any defense since at least 2018 according to Next Gen Stats.
That is not a scheme problem. That is 11 guys failing to wrap up a 25-year-old running back who happens to be the reigning Super Bowl MVP.
Walker also out-gained the entire Broncos offense by himself. Denver managed 176 total yards from scrimmage. Walker had 191.
What This Means for Kansas City
The Chiefs have spent years winning with Patrick Mahomes improvising his way out of trouble because the run game could not be trusted. That was the recurring flaw in an otherwise unbeatable formula, and it cost them in the biggest spots.
Walker fixes it. He is a genuine tone-setter who can take a handoff on second-and-7 and turn it into a 60-yard score without the quarterback touching the ball after the exchange. Mahomes went 15-of-27 for 184 yards and two touchdowns with an interception in his first game back from a torn ACL, which is exactly the kind of manageable workload you want for a quarterback nine months post-surgery.
That is the whole point of the Walker signing. Kansas City can now win a game where Mahomes is merely fine.
Walker Kept It Humble
He gave credit away in the postgame press conference, praising Mahomes and Travis Kelce for the way they welcomed him. “They’ve accepted me with open arms, and I appreciate them for that,” Walker said, via NFL on ESPN.
The former Michigan State star won a Super Bowl with Seattle last season and then cashed in. Kansas City looks like it got a bargain.
Next Up
The Colts come to Arrowhead in Week 2, and Indianapolis just gave up 144 rushing yards and three touchdowns to Derrick Henry. If that defensive front does not get fixed in six days, Walker is going to do this again.
The rest of the AFC should be nervous. The Chiefs were dangerous when Mahomes had to carry everything. With a back like this, they are something else entirely.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.