Kenneth Walker III is on top of the world right now.
The 25-year-old running back was already on top of the world when he won Super Bowl MVP and led the Seattle Seahawks to a championship in his final season with the organization. That was the game that made Walker a mainstream name when he rushed for 135 yards, the most in the Super Bowl since Terrell Davis did it for the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII during the 1997 season.
However, Walker has taken it up a whole another level in his first season with the Kansas City Chiefs. While many figured this would be the ideal fit considering he would take pressure off of Patrick Mahomes and have his skill set maximized by Andy Reid, few could have assumed it would get off to this good of a start.
Walker leads the NFL in rushing through the first four weeks of the season with 537 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 6.2 yards per carry. The fifth-year back leads the league in rushing and has emerged as an MVP frontrunner while leading the Chiefs to a 4-0 record. He’s on pace for 2,000 yards and also on pace to break the NFL’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards, set by Eric Dickerson in 1984.
“It’s a lot of credit to the guys around me,” said Walker in a one-on-one interview with Heavy Sports. “The offensive line, wide receivers and tight ends are doing a great job blocking for me and Emmett Johnson and Brashard Smith. They make our jobs a lot easier. Coach Reid is putting us in positions to make make plays.”
Kenneth Walker Credits Eric Bieniemy For Setting Tone During Practice
Walker started off his Chiefs career with a bang, rushing for a career-high 173 rushing yards with go along with two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) while leading Kansas City to a blowout 31-10 over the Broncos.
He recently upped that in a tight 30-27 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders, rushing for 177 yards to go along with two touchdowns with a long of 76 yards. If he keeps up at this pace, he could shatter long-standing NFL records.
“First off, that starts with the practices that we have in OTAs and training camp,” said Walker of Reid setting the tone before the season starts. “We were going through a lot of hard practices. I’m sure a lot of people practice hard, but the way we do it with EB (offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy), the way his intensity is and what they expect out of us at practice going into the game, it makes it feel much easier.”
The Chiefs are entering the bye week before they host the Los Angeles Chargers and take on Walker’s former team, the Seahawks, in a Sunday Night Football matchup.
Kenneth Walker on Using Plant-Based Protein Products
The star running back is teaming up with Orgain because he uses their organic plant based protein powder. Walker details why he started using the product and why it stands out from other protein powder items out there.
“Before the partnership, I’ve always liked Orgain,” said Walker. “It’s been something I can rely on throughout my routine and my day-to-day diet. I always mention I don’t like to eat much. Orgain is real clean and it helps me get through the day after workout and before workouts.
“They’re plant based, usually when you get plant based — I’m not much of a fan when it’s plant based and it’s not the best tasting –but Orgain to me, you can’t even tell that it’s plant based. It’s also not too chunky when I mix it up and everything. But it’s just perfect. It’s perfect for me. It’s perfect for my routine, and I’m gonna continuously use it.”
Chiefs’ Kenneth Walker Reveals Key to Record-Setting Pace Under Andy Reid