One of the biggest matchups in the NFL in Week 7 pits the Kansas City Chiefs against the Seattle Seahawks. The Chiefs' resurgence has been one of the most notable storylines in the NFL this season, and now they will take their unbeaten record into one of the toughest places to play in the league against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Of course, these two teams will be linked and compared all season long because of star running back Kenneth Walker III. Walker spent the first four seasons of his career with the Seahawks after they drafted him in the second round out of Michigan State, ultimately winning Super Bowl MVP last season after capping a monster playoff run with an excellent showing in the big game.
This offseason, however, Walker departed Seattle for the Chiefs on a three-year, $43 million deal. The Chiefs badly needed to revamp their running game, and Walker has done just that. His insertion into Andy Reid's offense has done wonders for Kansas City and is a big reason the Chiefs are 5-0.
On the other side, the Seahawks have struggled mightily at running back without Walker this season. Zach Charbonnet is working his way back from a torn ACL, and first-round pick Jadarian Price is out with a chest injury. That has left the Seattle running back room barren, though it appears that Charbonnet will be back for Sunday's game.
There's no question that Walker will be out for revenge on Sunday night against his old team. But it won't be easy against what has once again been arguably the best defense in the NFL. Let's get into the battle between two of the league's best units set to take stage in prime time on Sunday night.
Kenneth Walker has completely changed the Chiefs' running game
For the last few seasons, even when they were winning Super Bowls, the Chiefs have not had an explosive running game. Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt have handled most of the carries for Andy Reid and company over the last few years, which just isn't a way to threaten defenses on the ground.
Walker has changed all of that. The reigning Super Bowl MVP has given the Chiefs that explosive element and currently leads the NFL with 665 yards and six touchdowns through five games. He also has 95 yards and two scores through the air, so he is a big part of this offense no matter the situation.
The numbers, especially when you contrast them with last year, make the difference especially glaring.
Walker not only leads the league in rushing yards, but he also is No. 1 among running backs in EPA per rush (+0.13). He has 19 carries of 10 or more yards, the second-best mark in the NFL behind only James Cook. He also ranks second in yards after contact with 438, trailing only Bijan Robinson, and he has 277 rushing yards over expected, more than 100 more than Robinson in second place per Next Gen Stats.
Now compare that to the Chiefs' numbers last season. Kansas City had the seventh-best EPA per rush in the NFL in 2025 (+0.01). That's a solid number, but it's mostly a product of a solid run-blocking offensive line that is mostly intact this season.
When you look at the numbers that speak more to how the individual runners are creating yards, it's clear that the Chiefs needed an upgrade. The Chiefs ranked 27th in rush yards over expected last season and 31st in yards after contact per attempt, per Next Gen Stats. Their 44 rushes of 1o or more yards finished tied for 23rd, and Patrick Mahomes had 18 of those on scrambles.
Mahomes is always going to do his thing, and Travis Kelce looks much better this season than he did in 2025. Even with Tyquan Thornton out for most of the season, the passing game is going to have its floor lifted by Mahomes. Now, the running game has both a high floor and a high ceiling, making this a very difficult offense to stop.
If anyone can slow Walker down, it's the Seahawks
Walker has been almost unstoppable this season, but now he will go up against arguably the best defense in the NFL. Mike Macdonald led a historic unit a season ago that lifted this Seattle team to a Super Bowl, and while they have gone through some growing pains so far this season, this is still an elite unit.
While they don't quite have the world-beating numbers from a year ago at this point, the Seattle defense still tanks fourth in yards per rush allowed (3.5) and third in stuff rate (20.7%). Their -0.18 EPA per rush allowed also is the third-best mark in the NFL.
A lot of that has to do with their defensive front, which is still one of the best in the NFL even as Leonard Williams works through an ankle injury. Seattle is allowing less than one yard before contact per rush from its opponents, one of the best marks in the league.
Seattle has also been a very good tackling team, missing just 41 tackles in six games this season, per PFF. Walker has forced 41 missed tackles this season, by far the most in the NFL, so the battle between the two sides will be very intriguing to watch.
Walker in the passing game could be a big key to the Chiefs moving the ball in this game. Macdonald defenses have struggled at times against running back screens dating back to his time against the Ravens, and that has been the case once again this season. Seattle has allowed the sixth-most backfield targets this season and the seventh-highest EPA per play on those plays per Next Gen Stats.
Andy Reid has long been known as one of the best screen designers in football, and he has used that to weaponize Walker in the passing game. Look for him to get to that section of the call sheet early and often on Sunday night as the Chiefs look to get to 6-0.