Before the 2025 season began – before we knew that Jaxon Smith-Njigba would emerge as one of the best receivers in the NFL and that Sam Darnold was a legitimate Pro Bowl caliber quarterback – it appeared that the Seattle Seahawks’ offense would rise and fall based on lead running back Kenneth Walker III. In the Hawks’ first playoff game in three years,
Walker and that offense rose. They rose so high that if there was a roof on Lumen Field, it would have been blown right off.
To be sure, the Seahawks’ annihilation of NFC West rival San Francisco in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs was a total team effort. From Rashid Shaheed’s tone-setting opening kickoff to a defense that harassed Brock Purdy all night long, Mike Macdonald’s squad picked an excellent night to play their best game of the season.
Seahawks' Kenneth Walker just earned himself a major new contract for next year
But Kenneth Walker was special. He was special early, when he ran and caught passes to help lead Seattle down the field. And he was special late, when he ran for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to put the eleventh nail in the 49ers’ coffin. In between, he accounted for 145 total yards on just 22 touches and scored three touchdowns.
Or, put another way, the final score was Kenneth Walker 18 – San Francisco 6.
Walker is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason. Though it would appear John Schneider would want to re-sign his leading rusher, performances like the one he turned in on Saturday night might make it impossible.
The NFL has seemed to rediscover the value of a versatile, explosive running back in the past year, and Walker showed just how versatile and explosive he can be. He looked faster than he had all season, continually turning the corner and bursting downfield.
He also showed his surprising power, rarely going down without multiple defenders draped around him. There was one highly symbolic second half run in which Walker simply refused to go down as a scrum formed around him, and his linemen helped push him for almost ten extra years after it seemed he had been stopped.
Seattle blocked exceptionally well all night. The lineman gave him holes, and he often ran downfield stride for stride with the speedy back. His tight ends and wide receivers did a masterful job of sealing off pursuit and allowing him to reach the corners on sweeps.
But in the end, it fell to the fourth-year back out of Michigan State to make it all work. That became especially important after Zach Charbonnet went out with a knee injury in the first half.
Throughout the season, Walker and Charbonnet have formed a dynamic one-two punch. Walker has provided the speed and Charbonnet the power. Depending on the game and the defensive scheme, they would alternate taking the lead role.
But as he showed on Saturday, when he is fresh and getting a push up front, this offense is at its most dangerous when Walker is the main man. He can gain big yards every time he touches the ball. His cutback touchdown just before halftime showed off his exceptional vision and essentially ended the game.
Then in the third quarter, he showed off his pass-catching skill, twisting his body to snare a slightly overthrown Darnold pass. The 49ers simply had no answer for Kenneth Walker all night long.
In his only other playoff game during his rookie season, Walker was largely stymied by this same 49ers’ team. Four years later, at the end of his rookie deal, he and the Seahawks got their revenge.
They will now host the NFC championship next weekend with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Hopefully, Charbonnet will be ready to go. The Seahawks are better when they have both of their running backs at full strength.
And they are at their very best when Kenneth Walker is leading the way. There was going to be a lot of interest in his services even before this performance, and that interest has only gone up now. If this does turn out to be the end of his run with Seattle – and as a fan, I hope it does not – it is at least very nice to see him saying goodbye at the top of his game.