The Seattle Seahawks will see a familiar face when they host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, October 25. But Kenneth Walker III is returning to Seattle with something considerably bigger than a Super Bowl ring: a legitimate shot at NFL history.
Walker rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns in Kansas City’s 22-6 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers on October 18, pushing his season total to 665 rushing yards through five games.
That puts the former Seahawks star on pace to break Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record, and a new statistical comparison illustrates just how extraordinary Walker’s start has been.
For Seattle, which has struggled to replace Walker’s production amid injuries to its own running backs, the timing is particularly uncomfortable.
Walker is ahead of Eric Dickerson’s record 1984 season,
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Football analyst Kevin Cole highlighted Walker’s remarkable start in an October 19 post on X, comparing his production to some of the greatest rushing seasons in NFL history.
According to Cole, Walker’s 665 rushing yards through five games trail only four of the 20 most productive single-season rushing performances at the same point:
- O.J. Simpson, 1973: 813 yards
- Jim Brown, 1963: 787 yards
- Jamal Lewis, 2003: 742 yards
- DeMarco Murray, 2014: 670 yards
Walker is ahead of the early pace established by Dickerson during his record-setting 1984 campaign. Dickerson had 498 rushing yards through five games before finishing with 2,105.
At his current average of 133 rushing yards per game, Walker would finish a 17-game season with 2,261 yards, surpassing Dickerson’s record by 156.
To break the record, Walker needs another 1,441 yards over Kansas City’s remaining 12 games, an average of just over 120 yards per contest.
There is plenty of football left, and maintaining that pace is hardly guaranteed. But five games into his first season with Kansas City, Walker is producing at a level few running backs have ever sustained.
That brings an intriguing subplot to Sunday’s game in Seattle.
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Walker was named Super Bowl LX MVP after helping Seattle defeat the New England Patriots in February. The Seahawks then watched him leave in free agency, joining a Kansas City offense led by Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.
The decision has become increasingly difficult to ignore as Walker has surged toward the top of the NFL rushing leaderboard while Seattle has dealt with injuries and inconsistent backfield production.
Now the Seahawks are preparing for their former star’s return with important decisions looming at running back.
Zach Charbonnet has been practicing since October 1 while recovering from the torn ACL he suffered during Seattle’s postseason run. However, the Seahawks held him out of their October 15 loss to the Denver Broncos.
His 21-day practice window expires October 22. Seattle must activate him to the 53-man roster by the deadline or leave him on the physically unable to perform list for the remainder of the season.
Charbonnet’s next opportunity to play comes against Kansas City on October 25, although the Seahawks have not announced when he will make his season debut.
Rookie Jadarian Price will not be available for the Chiefs matchup. Price remains on injured reserve with a chest injury and must miss at least one more game before he is eligible to return.
His earliest possible return is November 2 against the Chicago Bears.
Head coach Mike Macdonald offered an encouraging update on Price during his October 16 appearance on Seattle Sports 710 AM.
“He’s doing great,” Macdonald said. “We should be looking at a sooner-rather-than-later return after this game.”
That leaves Emanuel Wilson, George Holani and the rest of Seattle’s available backfield facing a particularly revealing comparison against Kansas City.
Walker is already producing historic numbers for his new team. On Sunday, he’ll get the chance to do it against the franchise he helped lead to a championship just eight months earlier.
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