Three and out: 3 takeaways from Seahawks playoff loss against 49ers

Seahawks running back K9 showed us he belongs

A lot of eyes were on Kenneth Walker III after the Seahawks drafted him in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft. Even with the uncertainty of his playing time as the Seahawks awaited if Chris Carson can recover from his neck injury in the offseason and already had Rashaad Penny on the roster, the writing was on the wall that sooner or later the kid would take the reigns in Seattle. After enduring his own injury at the start of the season, and coming back slowly to a relegated backup role to Penny, Walker took over the RB1 role after Penny was injured and was mostly very good.

It was just unfortunate that Walker’s time to start came due to a season-ending Penny injury. But when the ball was handed to Walker, he ran away with it to the playoffs. Rushing for more than a thousand yards in the regular season, it was Walker’s time to show what he is actually made of in the playoffs. Although it came against a stout 49ers defense, he was able to handle the job admirably.

Kenneth Walker III finished the game with 15 carries for 63 rush yards and a score. Few running backs can say they ran for a touchdown against the 49ers’ defense this season. It might have been a short-lived playoff run for Ken Walker and the Seahawks, but Seattle finally may finally have their running back of the future.