He broke a franchise record with another prolific performance, but Jaxon Smith-Njigba wanted to praise a Seattle Seahawks teammate after Week 12’s 30-24 win over the Tennessee Titans. A “next level”secret superstar who has been hidden during Smith-Njigba’s banner campaign, but a player who finally produced the “explosive” plays the Seahawks needed in Nashville.
It was running back Kenneth Walker III who caught Smith-Njigba’s eye. Walker rushed for 71 yards on just 11 carries, and Smith-Njigba believes “His elusiveness is next level, never seen it before and we just got to block better and create more open lanes for him,” per Seahawks.com Writer Ari Horton.
That’s not faint praise from a playmaker in the kind of form Smith-Njigba is in, form good enough to break a record set by former Seahawks Pro Bowler DK Metcalf. Yet Smith-Njigba wasn’t the only one impressed by what Walker did at Nissan Stadium.
Head coach Mike Macdonald also acknowledged a long-overdue breakout game from his rushing attack.
Kenneth Walker Made the Most of Limited Carries
The breakout was led by Walker, who was a doubt to play, but instead he made the most of a streamlined workload. He wasn’t going to get 20 or 25 carries in an offense still built around Smith-Njigba’s brilliance and the arm talent of quarterback Sam Darnold, but Walker turned his touches into big plays.
An average of 6.5 yards per carry summed up how effectively Walker attacked the Titans. It was enough for Macdonald to say “I thought [Walker] did a great job. It was great to see Zach (Charbonnet) punch it in the red zone. We wanted to run. Those guys played well together. Thought they protected the quarterback well. We caught it well out of the backfield. I felt Ken (Walker) today. He made some explosive plays for us, which was great,” per Horton.
The reference to Walker’s backfield mate Zach Charbonnet getting into the end zone was also telling. Macdonald was excited by what he saw from a legitimate one-two punch in the running game.
Combining Walker’s breakout skills with Charbonnet’s more bruising style should be the foundation of everything the Seahawks do on the ground. It’s how this offense can become more physical behind offensive linemen who relished the extra commitment to the run this week.
Seahawks’ Offensive Line Won the Trenches
Having a rookie bruiser back along the interior, just a week after injuring his knee, set the tone for the Seahawks to dominate in the trenches. They were able to play physical football and knock open the holes Walker needed to thrive.
The impact of Seattle’s O-line wasn’t lost on Walker, who admitted, “it’s a lot of different things that go into the run game. Different looks and the way we execute, is important too. We have to execute our tracks and make it easier for the O-line to block guys out and they do a great job.”
Walker knows he’s being asked to make more reads in a zone-style system designed by offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. It’s an instinctive way to travel, but there’s also been some growing pains for a fourth-year pro learning the nuances of the blocking scheme.
Once things fully click, Walker should be able to finally deliver on his potential as one of the more dynamic bell-cow backs in the NFL.
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