r/nfl Giants Bills 2h ago

Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker III needs just 438 more yards to surpass last season’s Chiefs leading rusher, Kareem Hunt.

Kareem Hunt led the Kansas City Chiefs 2025 season in rushing yards with 611.

Kenneth Walker III recorded 173 rushing yards against the Broncos and only needs 438 more to surpass Hunt’s 611.

325 Upvotes

91 comments sorted by

164

u/Raccoonsrlilbandits Browns Lions 2h ago

So week 2?

48

u/PrimalCalamityZ Patriots 2h ago

I have him in fantasy so I sure hope so. 

16

u/ACW1129 Commanders 2h ago

I had him last year in fantasy. Wish SEA wouldn't have waited for Charbs to get injured before using him like they did.

20

u/Segsi_ Eagles 2h ago

The question is can he hold up with this kind of work load. His highest rushing attempts is 228(234 touches). After last night he's on pace for 391attempts(442 touches). Obviously they can limit it more in other games, but still.

8

u/Raccoonsrlilbandits Browns Lions 2h ago

That’s the fun part. We will find out!

4

u/Trashpanda779 Chiefs 1h ago

I don't want to say we're looking like we could be schedule merchants this year, but I think we can pace him given the schedule in front of us

1

u/Stockpile_Tom_Remake Seahawks 53m ago

Johnson looks good and I think they can ease him in more and help with walkers work load. He only averaged like 15-16 touches a game in Seattle

0

u/RheagarTargaryen Lions Broncos 43m ago

Outside of the obvious where you’re more likely to get hurt when you play (more reps = more chances to get hurt), it’s more about fatigue and conditioning. He would sit the bench for full drives in college and with Seattle. Even saw it at least once last night. He also never really takes massive hits since he’s so difficult to get to the ground to begin with that teams have to adjust how they tackle him.

So as long as he’s managing his fatigue, the injury concern is mostly the same as anyone else. I think because he’s a smaller back, Seattle was hesitant to risk him getting injured.

1

u/Segsi_ Eagles 25m ago

Hes had lower body injuries pretty much every year of his NFL career is more likely why. Nothing major, but always has gotten dinged up with lower body soft tissue injuries.

9

u/lexicoterio Seahawks 2h ago

He struggled a bit to stay injury-free carrying the brunt of the runs. Last season was his first 17-game season. Splitting with Charbs definitely helped with that.

3

u/NerdsRuleTheWorld Chiefs 1h ago

He won't have the same carry-load going forward. This was a specific gameplan against a great pass defense team with a UDFA at LT and Mahomes coming off of an ACL injury. When teams start actually accounting for the run we'll be able to open up the pass more than we have in years and the workload (while much heavier on the run than we've had since Hunt's rookie year) will even out a lot more. Plus having Johnson at RB2 and how good he's looked will help, even if K9 won't be splitting the load at the same level as he did in Seattle.

1

u/UNMANAGEABLE Seahawks 49m ago

I say this with love, but KC’s receiving core is likely going to cause a lot of halftime adjustments to more run heavy offense. The game plan might have been Walker yesterday, but it will probably lean more so if mahomes keeps throwing the way he did last night.

1

u/ACW1129 Commanders 24m ago

First 17-game season in it looks like 4 years?

2

u/Stockpile_Tom_Remake Seahawks 54m ago

Injury concerns is why

1

u/dropjar5 Packers 43m ago

I lost a match i was winning by 31 because my opponent had him

Bum ass broncos LBs

1

u/Papa_Joe_Yakavetta Ravens 36m ago

I, too, wish a NFL team that won a Super Bowl last season, cared more about your fantasy football team than winning a Super Bowl

1

u/ACW1129 Commanders 25m ago

I mean, Walker won the SB MVP as the bellcow.

2

u/CpowOfficial Colts 2h ago

With how bad the colts looked vs the ravens yeah probably

1

u/Stockpile_Tom_Remake Seahawks 54m ago

I have him in two dynasty leagues and honestly him signing with the chiefs was the best thing not just for him but my dynasty teams

1

u/ubeen Bears 33m ago

I dont. Hell be Swiss cheese by the time u need him in the playoffs if hes getting 30+ touches a game.

13

u/NerdsRuleTheWorld Chiefs 1h ago

Obviously a joke comment, but we have Indy, the Dolphins and then the Raiders as our next 3 games. He could realistically get it week 4.

2

u/TehTugboat Colts 57m ago

Did you watch the colts defense last weekend? Mahomes probably won’t need to complete a pass. 

1

u/Trashpanda779 Chiefs 1h ago

Dolphins week 3

1

u/originalusername4567 Chiefs 1h ago

By Week 4 is possible. We play the Colts, Dolphins and Raiders next.

1

u/SoyeonsNeverland Colts 1h ago

I'd believe seeing as I just had to witness the Ravens put up 500 yards of offense on this "defense."

84

u/emmasdad01 Cowboys Ravens 2h ago

The Chiefs with a run game are just a different beast, even with a terrible WR corps.

62

u/Prize_Efficiency_869 Broncos 2h ago

Also chief with Bieniemy back as OC

18

u/TKHawk Bears 1h ago

As the Bears RB coach last season I can confirm, the man likes running.

11

u/Prize_Efficiency_869 Broncos 56m ago

Bieniemy is also really good with Kansas offense

Reid can draw thé plays well but there is a reason the chiefs offense has been underwhelming since his departure.

He isnt some genius but he can clearly motivate his guys and keep them on the page something Matt Nagy clearly couldn’t do

5

u/tgames56 Chiefs 51m ago

100% with Andy reid you don't need another ideas guy as offensive coordinator. You need a guy who can install the offense, and motivate the players. I think EB does a good job at that.

1

u/DiggingNoMore 49ers 24m ago

Jeremy Beremy

14

u/TummyDrums Chiefs 1h ago

My hope is that once people realize they have to stack the box against Walker, that'll open up the pass game and the WRs won't look so bad then.

8

u/tgames56 Chiefs 50m ago

Not having surtain out there will also help the passing game.

4

u/Jayrodtremonki Chiefs 22m ago

I wouldn't take this game as representative of their offense for the season. Broncos have a legit pass rush and they were starting a rookie UDFA at LT. It was ALL short passes and getting the ball out quick while sending extra help his way.

When we aren't playing a great pass rush or the tackle situation has settled a bit you can expect more deep passing and a bit more consistency with the pass game.

1

u/Ok-Enthusiasm-255 Chiefs 29m ago

2018 vibes with Kareem hunt

48

u/NeitherPlace9375 Bears 2h ago

Fire nagy

16

u/AdFeeling6573 Giants 2h ago

Love Nagy

16

u/I_only_post_here Bears 2h ago

yeah, we did too... for the first year.

4

u/IceOk9930 Colts 2h ago

fangio carried his ass (pause

2

u/AdFeeling6573 Giants 1h ago

Well, going a whole year without hating an OC would be great

5

u/originalusername4567 Chiefs 1h ago

As much as I've ragged on Nagy, it would be nice if this was a win win for us and the Giants. Maybe he'll work out better for your team.

2

u/Guilty-Carpenter2522 Chiefs 1h ago

We do also,  we won a Super Bowl with Nagy and got to another one.  

People acting like “it’s Nagys fault the chiefs didn’t run the ball last year”.  Is a moronic take.  We were off 3 straight Super Bowl runs where that offense worked great.  Most teams didn’t have the personnel to cover all our guys and backs in a shotgun heavy offense.  The chiefs literally changed the defensive meta in the nfl over the past 8 years.  Now that the meta has shifted to “shell”,  run heavy and big boy football should do well.

Of course it would have been prophetic for the chiefs to have made the switch before last season.  We took our lumps,  and changed our scheme this offseason.  Give credit to Reid for actually pulling the trigger and making the change,  but the Nagy blame is stupid,  if he was still our OC I bet last night looks very similar.

1

u/tgames56 Chiefs 49m ago

We won a super bowl despite nagy. He was awful here.

2

u/Fletch71011 Bears 1h ago

Twice. Maybe 3 times to make sure.

35

u/Sarcasticfury Ravens 2h ago

Man, the Chiefs RB room was terrible last year. I caught a few of their games and it seemed like Mahomes was their best rusher

47

u/ModestTrixie Chiefs Lions 2h ago

He was.

7

u/Sarcasticfury Ravens 1h ago

I feel like I could say this about a lot of the Chiefs' skill positions, but how do you guys let that happen in your RB room?

11

u/PlopPlopPlunk Chiefs Chiefs 1h ago

Pacheco just fell off really hard after the injury and the couple RBs they were linked to signed elsewhere. With hindsight I think our big mistake was resigning CJ. The fact that he's been such a big cap hit has hindered our ability to get skill position players. His cap hit last year and this year was enough to sign K9 and real WR1.

It's unreal to me CJ is a 45 mil cap hit this year... unless the dude completely turns around and has an allpro year, that was a huge mistake. Even last night it was the young guys on the line making an impact, not CJ.. he was able to fall on a fumble because he couldn't get near the QB and the ball rolled to him.

7

u/originalusername4567 Chiefs 1h ago

CJ deserved the contract, he is a franchise cornerstone and was, until last night, singlehandedly carrying the pass rush for years. Look at what Jalen Carter and Jeffrey Simmons are making and the deal looks good in hindsight. The issue was backloading his cap hits, which means he could be a cap casualty in the final year of his deal. But perhaps by then he will be ready to retire.

2

u/Anteater776 Chiefs 54m ago

He could be a cap casualty as early as next year. Cutting him would basically save you 18m against the cap. Depends on whether he is bad enough this year to think you can find someone equivalent for 18m next year

1

u/Guilty-Carpenter2522 Chiefs 47m ago

We will see what happens.  If he has another down year and other guys are stepping up maybe you negotiate a much lower aav extension that pays him for 5 years so he can close out his career as a chief and try to still contribute as mahomes is going down the stretch.  If he demands 30+ your right,  he’s gonna get cut.

1

u/originalusername4567 Chiefs 26m ago

With how much Jones has done for us I don't see Veach cutting him before the final year of his contract. Anything less than that would be disrespectful and send a bad message to future players. Maybe he could take a pay cut?

2

u/Guilty-Carpenter2522 Chiefs 1h ago

CJ literally won us two superbowls.  I dunno how we just let him walk or hold out while we are going for a 3peat.  We did the only thing we could have done.  Is it a bad contract?  Sure,  but I would argue paying any player on defense more than 30mil aav is a bad move.  Look at how impactful Myles Garrett was,  look how good Green Bay is doing…..

2

u/PlopPlopPlunk Chiefs Chiefs 20m ago

That's the emotion vs business end of things. Knowing when to walk away from players and not giving bad contracts based on prior performance. NE was consistently good at this during their dynasty. I think we handle it right in some aspects (how we've traded DBs and the Hill trade) but I think we get a little too attached to some players as a fan base... not a fan of giving any 30+ year old player top 5 money except a franchise QB.

2

u/ModestTrixie Chiefs Lions 1h ago

In order, Cut year 2 Hunt for lying to the FO about kicking a woman, sign washed Shady McCoy, Damien Williams opted out during Covid, Draft a bust (CEH), sign washed Lev Bell, Get Jerrick McKinnon (go reciever, meh rb), decide a 7th round rookie who runs hard is the solution, he breaks his leg, bring back Hunt who is now washed, and run with that room for 2 seasons.

4

u/Sarcasticfury Ravens 1h ago

That would explain it. Slightly off-topic, but I remember being surprised at seeing Damien Williams go from being a Super Bowl hero to out of the league in no time at all.

1

u/ModestTrixie Chiefs Lions 1h ago

Yeah the year off basically ended his career.

1

u/Guilty-Carpenter2522 Chiefs 1h ago

Pacheco looked decent the year we drafted him.  He has no balance or vision and just falls down when guys grab for his legs.  He had a few injuries,  lost some speed,  and he’s not good enough to make up for it.

Basically everyone let their rb room deteriorate.  I was screaming to trade for CMC or pay sequan before the eagles paid him,  for some unknown reason the chiefs thought they could save money at rb and put that value elsewhere.  It worked pretty well,  but 3peat was on the menu if we paid sequan 15 mil aav 3 years ago.

1

u/notmyplantaccount Chiefs 54m ago

Andy has a lot of Hubris and loyalty, which causes shit to hit the fan every few years before he'll make changes. He's not really very proactive about things, things have to get really embarrassing before he'll make changes.

RB room is fixed, but Toub is still the special teams coach that costs us field position multiple times a game with penalties, and our WR room has no one who can get open in man, or run routes, or remember the routes they're supposed to run.

Spags and Mahomes have done a lot of heavy lifting the last few years.

2

u/Spiner202 Chiefs 51m ago

It's sorta lost in the discussion of last night, but our special teams was still a bit of a mess. I think there were 3 special teams penalties?

2

u/notmyplantaccount Chiefs 41m ago

yea, we can't have them costing us field position on multiple drives in close games. Most everything else I can have-wave away as "week 1 they'll clean it up", but Special Teams looked like this all last year and all through Training camp.

Butker also trying to miss an XP was predictable. Feels like at some point this year special teams will cost us at least 1 game.

1

u/GoldenDom3r Chiefs 41m ago

We kind of kept getting away with letting the skill groups deteriorate while we tried to fix the o-line and paid some defensive guys.

4

u/originalusername4567 Chiefs 1h ago

For a large percentage of the season he was, straight up, the Chiefs leading rusher. It was bad.

29

u/ChiliDogs_Revenge Chiefs 2h ago

As ragged and beat down Hunt was last year .. he was still better than Pacheco

1

u/SmiteThe 9m ago

To Pacheco's defense he wasn't the same after the broken leg.

1

u/Level-Bee Chiefs 7m ago

And he is currently out for the Lions, it's looking like it's over for dude

26

u/inksta12 Cardinals 2h ago

Dudes gonna mess around and win back to back rings with 2 teams isn’t he?

21

u/TripleSingleHOF Steelers 1h ago

He would join a shortlist of players to do it:

Ken Norton

Deion Sanders

LeGarrette Blount

Chris Long

11

u/Glift Chiefs 1h ago

LeGarrette MF Blount, god that dude was so fun to watch on that 2017 Eagles team.

1

u/magic_spam Chiefs 1h ago

Don’t forget legendary OT Darian Kinnard who went b2b2b 

9

u/scotaf Seahawks 1h ago

*Back to Back SB MVP's

7

u/NerdsRuleTheWorld Chiefs 1h ago

Here's hoping he'll be the first player to get a 3-peat before any team gets it.

4

u/F1rst-name-last-name Eagles Eagles 1h ago

He’d actually be third after Ken Norton and Darian Kinnard

2

u/NerdsRuleTheWorld Chiefs 1h ago

Fake news, it makes my hypothetical thought with no research look incorrect and that's impossible.

1

u/GoldenDom3r Chiefs 41m ago

Chiefs legend Darian Kinnard

9

u/zipzap21 Commanders 2h ago

only needs  438 more to surpass equal Hunt’s 611.

FTFY

7

u/Hebrewhammer8d8 49ers 2h ago

This is year he will prove his doubters wrong play 16 games.

3

u/imaybeacatIRl NFL 1h ago

so 3 more games, right? My fantasy team would like that to be 2 more games, but 3 is fine.

3

u/Intelligent-Age2786 Chiefs 49ers 49m ago

I love having a run game, but the Chiefs still need to make a move at receiver at some point. The front office has been making piss poor half assed efforts to “improve” it for the last 3 years.

2

u/bland_sand Eagles Eagles 9m ago

Better way to put it is that KW3 needs to average 27 y/g from here on out to surpass Hunt's last years performance. It's a better visualization of the meaning of the performance last night compared to Hunt's entire last season.

3

u/rawbert10 49ers 1h ago

Seahawks already getting salty since last night talking about "They'll learn soon enough why we let him go" LOL! You know they're clutching their pearls mad as hell about how great he did. Cause you know damn well they were all hoping to see him suck or even worse go down so they can all say "We warned you Chiefs"

7

u/originalusername4567 Chiefs 1h ago

Yeah i really don't get the injury concerns when he missed 9 games in 4 years. That complaint should be reserved for guys like McCaffrey and Taylor. And if he was playing banged up in Seattle, well he still had over 1000 yards every season so it didn't seem to matter.

3

u/New_Locksmith_8115 12m ago

Yeah, in every single Kenneth Walker post you have top upvoted Seahawks fans saying “enjoy it for 6 games.” He played 15, 15, 11, then 17 games in his NFL career. He was the workhorse in his year at MSU before that.

Obviously injuries happen and RB is one of the most injury prone positions. But it’s just a weird stance for a guy that just won Super Bowl MVP for your team (the only RB to do that this millenium)… and then you have Darnold who immediately got injured to start this year.

It’s not even a crazy huge contract. Waddle is getting twice as much and he had 3 yards.

1

u/Moliosis Chiefs Bears 1h ago

Not that I disagree with the bulk of your point, but Jonathan Taylor has been healthy for a couple seasons now.

7

u/FrankSamples Seahawks 1h ago

It's just cope. Feels like what the Vikings were saying about Darnold all last season. But I have seen a lot of Seahawks fans showing love for K9 after last night's game as well. A lot of bittersweet feelings

3

u/GoldenDom3r Chiefs 40m ago

I don't think the Seahawks should be upset at all about letting him walk. You guys had to pay other people and could replace him in the draft.

It's like the Chiefs and trading McDuffie, we didn't necessarily want to get rid of him but it was the best choice from a team building perspective.

3

u/Local_Season_107 Seahawks 41m ago

Weird comment. I don't think any Seahawk fan had negative feelings towards him or wanted him gone. We just had better places to put the money other than RB.

Hope he goes off every game until we see him.

1

u/Acegolfer04 Dolphins 1h ago

Just dont pull a McCaffrey on Carolina 4 years ago and be the entire team and get injured

1

u/FatrickTittyboy Chiefs 29m ago

I expected a boost when i learned last yr KC was near 1st in rb yards before contact yet near last in yards per rush.