Seahawks fan discussion: How will Kenneth Walker III do in his Chiefs debut?

Posted by Admin September 14, 2026 NFL

The final game of Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season is an all-AFC West affair between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos. While Patrick Mahomes‘ return from his ACL tear is the main story, for Seattle Seahawks fans we’ll get an early glimpse of two October foes (Broncos in Week 6, Chiefs in Week 7), as well as a look at an old friend in a new uniform.

Kenneth Walker III started his Seahawks career as the Offensive Rookie of the Year runner-up, which has been lost to history for some reason. In fact, he garnered the most first-place votes but finished second to Garrett Wilson through the ranked choice system. He ended his Seahawks career with an electrifying Super Bowl 60 performance, rushing for 135 yards and picking up an extra 26 as a receiver on his way to game MVP. The rest of his career in between that time frame was a mixed bag of excitement, frustration over decision-making, and injuries.

It’s a different style of offense in Kansas City, but Walker was clearly brought over in free agency to boost a moribund attack that had ground to a halt with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt. Walker had more explosive runs by himself last season than the entire Chiefs team. But Kansas City’s offensive line was not impressive in 2025, and the Chiefs won’t have left tackle Josh Simmons tonight. Denver’s defense was excellent last season and figures to be elite again this year. It could be tough sledding for the Chiefs offense again despite high expectations.

What will we see out of K9 in his first snaps as the lead Chiefs back? Whether you’re rooting against the Chiefs or not, are you pulling for Walker to have a good debut?

Consider this the game thread for Broncos at Chiefs, which starts at 5:15 pm PT on ESPN and ABC, with ESPN2 having the ManningCast feed. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald will be join Peyton and Eli at some point in the second half to talk ball!

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