Through the first three quarters of Seattle’s astonishing win over Los Angeles on Thursday night, when it looked to all the world that the Seahawks had no real business challenging the Rams, it is not too much of an overstatement to say that every important play for the Hawks was made by the same player. That player was running back Kenneth Walker III.
Eventually, others would step up. Rashid Shaheed may have been responsible for the game changer. Zach Charbonnet scored either the luckiest or smartest two points of the season to tie things up. Smith-Njigba, Kupp, and Barner...They all made crucial catches. And of course, Sam Darnold rose from the dead to throw one bullseye after another in crunch time.
But it was Walker, the fourth-year back out of Michigan State, who kept Seattle alive early. He set the tone when it appeared that most of his teammates were still trying to wake up. In so doing, he showed the only legitimate path Seattle has toward the franchise’s second Super Bowl victory this season.
Kenneth Walker wills the Seattle Seahawks to their grittiest win of the year
The somewhat difficult question for the Seahawks now, and one Walker made even more challenging with his brilliance in Week 16, is how much the team should offer him to entice him to return in 2026 free agency. He likely earned a raise in Seattle's biggest game in several years.
Let’s take a quick look at four plays Walker made in the first 40 minutes of the game.
On the Seahawks’ third play from scrimmage, Darnold threw a short screen pass to the running back in the left flat. Center Jalen Sundell and left tackle Josh Jones combined on a block that gave Walker a lane, and his speed turned the play into a nice gain.
His vision and patience turned it even bigger. He directed left guard Grey Zabel’s downfield block that very nearly allowed him to reach the end zone. As it turned out, he settled for 46 yards, getting to the Rams’ five-yard line. Charbonnet scored the game’s first touchdown two plays later.
After two straight three-and-outs and three straight Rams’ scores, Seattle found itself trailing and stymied. They were facing a third consecutive three-and-out late in the second quarter. It was third and 16 from their own 29-yard line. Darnold gave Walker the ball on a draw. It looked to everyone watching like a give-up call.
But Walker refused to give up. His run over the left side showed off all of his formidable running skills. He made a sharp cut in the hole, used his speed to burst past initial tacklers, and his power to bulldoze past several others on his way to a 17-yard first-down run.
That play probably should have led to a Seahawks' score just before halftime, but Cooper Kupp fumbled in the red zone. However, it did put a stop to the Rams’ momentum. Had he not converted the first down, Matthew Stafford would have had the ball back with two minutes to go. The chances of him scoring more points seemed pretty good. Instead, LA essentially ran out the clock and took a 13-7 lead to the half.
Two minutes into the second half, Walker took that lead back. He ran over right tackle Abraham Lucas, then bounced even further outside and sprinted 55 yards for the Hawks’ second touchdown.
Then, a few minutes later, he made one more play that had no practical impact, but may have been the most symbolic play of the night.
With the ball around midfield, Darnold attempted to hit Rashid Shaheed on a quick slant. Slot corner Josh Wallace came off his own man to step in front of the pass. It looked like a certain pick-six. But Wallace was tackled after rumbling 56 yards to the Seattle one. Kenneth Walker ran him down.
On the scoreboard, it didn’t matter. Blake Corum scored on the next play. But Walker’s play stood out as a show of resilience. Seattle would give up another touchdown and seem to give up all hope of victory when Darnold threw his second pick. But they refused to give up. Shaheed lit the match, the defense fanned the flames, and Darnold and his other receivers saw it to completion.
Walker didn’t make any more crucial plays in the fourth quarter or overtime. But for the game, his 14 touches produced 164 yards. That’s 11.7 yards per touch. He accounted for almost 40% of Seattle’s offense on the night.
Smith-Niigba has been Seattle’s biggest offensive weapon he year. Plenty of others have contributed. But Kenneth Walker showed on Thursday why he needs to be at the center of the Hawks’ offense if they are going to beat the best teams in the NFL.