In the 2024 NFL season, they created the Kansas City Chiefs Seven mines run on destructiondefined as runs of 20 yards or more. That was near the bottom of the league. A year ago, the Chiefs’ offense managed just three of those plays — the The worst sign in the NFL – with Only one such run comes Running back.
Against the Denver Broncos on Monday night, new Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III had two rushing touchdowns by himself, doubling his rushing yards from last season, and giving this Kansas City offense a dangerous new element.
By the end of the game, Walker had picked up 173 rushing yards on 23 carries, a career-high. Those were the most rushing yards by a Chiefs player in 2017, surpassing Kareem Hunt’s 148 in his Kansas City debut.
It was the fourth fastest by a player in his first game with a new team in league history.
Andy Reid wasted no time getting Walker involved in the offense as the new Chiefs running back had seven carries for 32 yards on Kansas City’s first drive of 2026. Those seven plays included runs inside:
There was something else notable about those two runs: They came with Mahomes lined up under center, not in the gun. Indeed, four of Walker’s carries came on the opening drive with Mahomes under center, a sign that Kansas City is hoping to improve another weakness in their running game from the past few seasons.
By the end of the night, most of Walker’s rushing yards came from the running game over the middle:
That includes both explosive running plays. With more than four minutes left in the first half, the game was tied at 7-7. Walker picks up 28 yards on a run down the left side, behind a zone-blocking scheme and among 12 offensive personnel, closely followed by Travis Kelce and Noah Gray on the play:
As noted, watch left guard Kingsley Suamataya step up to second on the block, helping clear Walker’s path.
Then came the big play, a 60-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-inches early in the second half.
Kansas City used heavy personnel in this game, bringing a pair of extra linemen into the game, including defensive tackle Khiris Tonga at fullback.
What about the result? A 60-yard field goal burst sees Walker not only break a tackle near the line of scrimmage, but break another tackle from 40 yards downfield and into the end zone.
Missed tackles were another theme last night as Walker forced 14 missed tackles against the Broncos by a Kansas City player since 2018.
It was Mahomes’ health that was the story coming into the game. Playing nine months ago after tearing the ACL and LCL in his left knee. Mahomes looked rusty at times, but a touchdown to cap Kansas City’s opening drive must have sent shivers down the spines of AFC defensive coordinators.
But what we saw from this Chiefs running game and Walker might be even scarier.
