The Kansas City Chiefs improved to 5-0 on the season on Sunday with a 22-6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The game wasn't always pretty, but the Chiefs did enough to keep the winless Chargers at bay, and Kenneth Walker continued his dominant start to the season. On a day when the offense had trouble converting opportunities into points, Walker's two touchdowns ended up being the only ones for either team.
Patrick Mahomes did go 23-for-30 for 272 yards, but was held without a touchdown and also threw a very ugly interception in the end zone at one point. That turnover, combined with a missed extra point and field goal by Harrison Butker, allowed the Chargers to hang around for far too long despite their offensive struggles. Thankfully for KC fans, Walker's production was enough to get the job done.
To say that Walker has been a difference-making free agent signing for the Chiefs would be a massive understatement. Walker has been arguably the best free agent signing for any team this season and possibly for the last several seasons. He's revitalized a Chiefs offense that had become stale in recent seasons and is a huge part of why they are 5-0.
Just how good has Kenneth Walker been for the Chiefs?
Walker is on pace to have one of the best seasons by any running back in NFL history through his first five games. Despite already having his bye week, Walker leads the NFL in rushing with 665 yards. That's an average of 133 rushing yards per game and puts him on pace to rush for 2,261 yards over 17 games. That by itself would be insane, but you throw in another 19 yards per game receiving, and that puts him on pace for 2,584 total offensive yards this season and 27 touchdowns.
The current NFL record for rushing yards in a season is 2,105 by Eric Dickerson in 1984. The current NFL record for yards from scrimmage in a season is 2,509 by Chris Johnson in 2009. The NFL record for touchdowns in a season is 31 by LaDainian Tomlinson in 2006. So Walker is currently on pace to break both yardage marks and would only be four shy of the touchdown record (which would tie him for third place all-time with Priest Holmes). So not only is Walker on pace to set Chiefs records, but he's also on pace to challenge the biggest running back records in NFL history.
Walker's production goes well beyond the record books
Those numbers alone are enough to sell Walker as a true MVP candidate, but it doesn't stop there. Here are a few more to show you just how special Walker has been. With 665 yards rushing, Walker now has more rushing yards than any Chief had all of last season. Kareem Hunt led KC with 611 yards rushing last season. It's not just the total yards either. Last season, Hunt and Isiah Pacheco combined for ONE run of over 20 yards. This season, Walker already has seven, which is tied for the most in the NFL. Two of those long runs went for over 40 yards. You have to go back to 2023 to find an RB run of over 40 yards prior to Walker arriving in KC.
Kenneth Walker also leads the NFL in forced missed tackles and rushing yards after contact. When you combine his broken tackle numbers with the massive gap in production over the KC backs the past few seasons, it is plain to see that this is about how special Walker has been, not KC being a dominant running team. This post by NFL's Next Gen Stats pretty much says it all.
Kenneth Walker III forced 7 missed tackles against the Chargers, bringing his NFL-leading total to 52.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 18, 2026
Walker gained 53 yards and 2 TDs on 6 carries against stacked boxes (8+ defenders). He leads the NFL in yards (183) and TDs (6) on those runs.@LACvsKC | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/fsnBre5Mn5
That's not to say that KC's offensive line doesn't deserve some credit and that Andy Reid doesn't deserve some praise for actually designing and calling run plays, but the play design and offensive line play haven't changed enough to warrant this type of production. That's all Kenneth Walker.
Who stands between Kenneth Walker and the NFL MVP award?
There are probably two quarterbacks competing with Walker for the MVP lead right now (three if you wanted to count Mahomes, but it feels like Walker has been the better of KC's two-headed monster). The two quarterbacks most talked about are Brock Purdy, who will lead the undefeated San Francisco 49ers against the Washington Commanders tonight on Monday Night Football, and Josh Allen. Purdy enters that game with 13 touchdowns and just two interceptions. If he can continue that productivity while leading one of the NFL's best teams, he'll stay in the running.
The other quarterback that Walker may have to compete with is media darling Josh Allen. Allen hasn't been the NFL's best passer, but when you combine his nine passing touchdowns with another eight rushing touchdowns, it puts him in the discussion, especially when he makes highlight-reel plays like the touchdown pass he threw to Keon Coleman on Sunday.
Kenneth Walker has been incredible this season. Yes, he's been a huge part of KC's success and worth every penny they spent on him in free agency, but it's more than that. Walker is off to one of the best starts to an NFL season that we've ever seen from a running back. You have to think it will be hard to maintain this level of production all season, but if he does, he will absolutely deserve to be the NFL MVP.
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