There is a very vocal contingent of Kansas City Chiefs fans who may not have loved a roster with some big holes spending oodles of cash to bring in Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III at running back. Perhaps Week 1's thrashing of the Denver Broncos changed their mind.
On a night when Patrick Mahomes was not at his best as he got his sea legs back following his ACL injury, Walker shone as bright as a herald from on high. Walker finished with 23 carries for 173 yards and one long touchdown run on the ground, while catching three passes for 18 yards and finding the end zone once more in a 31-10 domination.
For the first time since Mahomes started his upward ascencion to the elite, the Chiefs RB1 role won't be filled by veterans off the scrapheap, backups cosplaying as starters, or disappointing top draft picks. Walker can be counted on not only to excel, but to shoulder the offense on days where Mahomes isn't throwing darts around the field.
Walker's dominant Chiefs debut proves $43 million contract was a steal
Walker's contract is fairly economical when compared to other top backs, as he is ninth in the NFL in terms of average annual value at the running back position. Considering his performance in the Super Bowl, the biggest objection one could have to this deal is the philosophical notion of paying a running back top dollar at all.
After years of cheaping out at the position, and subsequently feeling the effects in the postseason when Mahomes didn't have fire coming out of his eyes, perhaps it was time for a change.
While Isiah Pacheco ran hard, the lack of speed and explosion was what was missing from Kansas City's running game last year, and Walker has already shown to be a more dynamic player than Isiah Pacheco was at his apex. Sure, the Broncos were about as bad as possible on defense tonight, but Walker took advantage in a way Clyde Edwards-Helaire would not have.
Walker is exactly what the Chiefs' offense needed
The Chiefs may need a robust ground game more than ever before in 2026. The Rashee Rice-led wide receiver room didn't get open consistently against Denver until the floodgates opened, the tackle spot is still a problem, and Mahomes is far from 100% healthy. Walker not only mitigated those issues; he beat a stalwart Broncos defense to a pulp.
The Chiefs may unlock the best version of Walker. For his entire career in Seattle, Walker was in a timeshare arrangement, first with Rashaad Penny and later with Zach Charbonnet. Kansas City may give him a volume that he has never experienced in his career, and games like this one show that he is capable of shouldering that load.
For the price of $43 million over three years, the Chiefs added someone who powered the Seahawks' offense to a Super Bowl and is still in his physical prime. Wasn't watching that performance much better than watching Pacheco run into his linemen?
Mahomes no longer has to be Superman to win games. He barely had to be Jimmy Olson in this game, and he still came out with a three-touchdown victory against perhaps his biggest competition for the AFC West crown. That's a winning formula, and the Chiefs have Walker to thank for it.
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