Kenneth Walker III’s roller coaster season is about to ramp up.
The Seattle Seahawks’ leading rusher will take on a bigger role in the NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams after Zach Charbonnet suffered a season-ending ACL injury.
Walker has been up and down this season. Week 18, entering the divisional round, marked the first time since Weeks 4 and 5 that a quarterback had produced back-to-back games of 70-plus rushing yards.
Walker led the Seahawks with 1,027 rushing yards in 2025, 16th in the NFL. In 17 regular season games, he notched two 100-yard receptions (Weeks 2 and 16) and had nine games of 65-plus yards. However, he also gave up six touchdowns of 45 yards or less, with three games under 30 yards rushing.
Coach Mike Macdoald pointed out this week that Walker enters the NFC title game on an upswing.
“I know he was working through his leg in the offseason. It was frustrating for him because of the work he put in,” Macdonald said earlier this week via ESPN. “Hopefully he realizes the dividends that are being paid, the work he’s put in to get himself in a good spot up to this point. I’ve seen a guy who’s improved over the course of the season. You can’t say that about every runner, so it’s a credit to him and the way he’s been treated, I’ve thought about his body.”
Over the past four games, including the playoffs, Walker has racked up 364 rushing yards, with three touchdowns of 97-plus yards.
After the Colts squeaked by in Week 15, Seattle has leaned on the field. The Seahawks have had 160-plus rushing yards in each of their last four games, including the playoffs — 171 in Week 16, 163 in Week 17, 180 in Week 18, 175 in the Division One — tied for the 2nd longest such streak in Seattle history (longest: 2018 streak).
“I think Ken did a really good job,” Macdonald said. “I think you’re seeing the results over the last X weeks now of … stacking all those reps. I thought it was the most decisive run he’s had to this point, and as expected, you just keep getting better and keep finding ways to improve, especially in the run game. He’s done a great job.”
With Charbonnet out for the season, the Seahawks lose their Hulk of a quarterback. Charbonnet was responsible for a team-leading 12 rushing TDs and was counted on in short-yardage and red-zone games.
In Saturday’s demolition of the San Francisco 49ers, the Seahawks relied on Walker after Charbonnet’s injury. With the season on the line, expect that to be the case again Sunday against LA In short yardage situations, the Seahawks could go to tight end AJ Barner on a regular basis. They have Velus Jones and Cam Akers on the practice squad, with George Holani eligible to come off IR, as backups if Walker needs rest, but Sunday should be Walker’s showcase.
Walker led Seattle with 164 scrimmage yards in a Week 16 OT win over the Rams (second most scrimmage yards in a game of his career) and has generated more than 100 scrimmage yards in each of his last three tilts against LA