The Seattle Seahawks are back in the Super Bowl for the first time in over a decade, as Sam Darnold's masterful performance and Kenneth Walker III's breakout at just the right time helped push Mike Macdonald's crew to a win in an instant classic NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams.
While Darnold is going to get the lion's share of the praise for helping take down their division rival once more (and with good reason), Walker stepping up after losing backup Zach Charbonnet for the rest of the year was one of the more impressive moments of grit fans have seen in some time.
Even though he didn't put up mind-boggling statistical numbers, Walker's impact was well-and-truly felt in this game. Marshawn Lynch, who is no stranger to making some memorable playoff moments in Seattle, wanted to make sure that fans appreciated what Walker just did.
Beast Mode took to social media to congratulate Walker for his performance, asking fans to "show love" to No. 9 for his dominant performance when the chips were down. To take down the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, Walker will need to run it back.
Marshawn Lynch shouts out Kenneth Walker III as Seahawks reach Super Bowl
Walker ran for 62 yards and a touchdown while catching four passes for 49 yards. Deprived of his usual running back timeshare due to the season-ending injury Charbonnet sustained, Walker needed to be a workhorse, and he was nothing short of masterful in securing the victory.
Walker, who ran for over 1,000 yards while matching his career-best mark of 4.6 yards per carry, went from an intriguing running back who could make for a curious free agency case to a top priority that needs to be retained no matter what the cost may be.
The Patriots may be able to limit what Darnold can do in the Super Bowl, as it might be tougher to force-feed Jaxon Smith-Njigba in the passing game. A strong performance from Walker on the ground might be what they need to trade blows with Drake Maye on the game's biggest stage.
Seattle looks like as well-rounded a team as there is in the NFC, and while Darnold and the defense deserve oodles of credit for that move, Lynch is making sure everyone knows that Walker has a huge part to play as the Seahawks chase their second-ever ring.