The Kansas City Chiefs suffered their first loss of the season, falling to the Seattle Seahawks in blowout fashion. It wasn't the kind of homecoming that the Chiefs envisioned for Kenneth Walker, who left Seattle for K.C. this spring and was off to a historic start through the first six weeks of the season.
After seeing what Walker did in the first month and a half of the season, it wasn't surprising that teams not only regretted not signing him but also regretted letting him end up in Kansas City. The Seahawks were surely feeling the worst, having had him in their building and letting him leave, especially after he led them to a Super Bowl title and won MVP in the big game.
Well, Walker didn't get to have that big moment against his former team, unfortunately. He rushed for just 38 yards on 14 carries and caught four passes for 21 yards. Not exactly star-studded numbers.
Let's put that to the side for a bit and come back to it later, though.
Before that game, Walker had rushed for at least 100 yards in all but one game, and in the one he didn't, he still had 70 yards on the ground. That had put him at 665 rushing yards through five games, which made me think that the possibility of him passing Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record was decent.
Last week was the beginning of a series detailing Walker's potential path to passing Dickerson's single-season rushing yards record. Dickerson rushed for 2,105 yards during the 1984 season, a single-season record that still stands to this day. Even with an additional game, running backs have not been able to pass Dickerson, which just goes to show how impressive the record is.
What is Walker's path to the record after dud performance?
Walker has 701 yards in six games. There are 11 remaining regular-season games for the Chiefs. At this point, to reach Dickerson's record, he'd need to rush for 1,404 yards for the rest of the season. That would average out to roughly 128 yards per game. Right now, he's averaging 116.8 yards a game.
A week ago, the odds of Walker breaking the record certainly looked brighter. He needed roughly 120 yards per game and was averaging 133.0 yards each game, so it seemed much more doable. It's still possible for him to make history, but the lack of big numbers against Seattle definitely hurt his chances.
How can upcoming schedule help benefit Walker?
The Chiefs head to Denver for a crucial Week 8 showdown that will determine who sits in first place in the AFC West. Walker demolished the Broncos defenders in Week 1, rushing for 173 yards and a touchdown while also hauling in 18 yards and another score as a pass-catcher. That said, Week 1 has proven to be a fraud in the past, and the Broncos have been playing better, especially on defense.
It is worth noting that the Broncos' run defense hasn't been great this season and actually ranks in the bottom five in yards allowed on the ground. But with this game being in Denver and the Broncos already getting owned by Walker earlier in the year, it feels unlikely that they'd let him run roughshod over them twice.
Week 9 will pit the Chiefs against the Jets, who rank in the bottom 10 in that same stat. Walker has a chance to really get back into the chasing history conversation over these next two weeks, but we'll have to see if teams take a page out of Seattle's playbook and try to force the Chiefs to pass instead. If so, that won't bode well for the reigning Super Bowl MVP and his quest to make history.
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