The Seahawks plan to lean more heavily on Kenneth Walker III

RENTON, Wash. (AP) — Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald was marveling at what Kenneth Walker III had done in his return to the Seattle backfield Monday night when he brought up an unpleasant memory.

“This guy plays at a really high level,” Macdonald said. “Unfortunately, I saw firsthand at Michigan State how hard he plays on a down-in, down-out basis.”

Macdonald was referring to what happened on Oct. 30, 2021, during his only season as Michigan’s defensive coordinator. The Wolverines suffered their first loss of the season that day, thanks largely to Walker, who rushed for 197 yards and set a school record with five touchdowns to lead the Spartans to a 37-33 victory.

“So there’s nothing new on his front,” Macdonald said.

Seattle’s first-year head coach is happy to have Walker at his side, and with the Seahawks’ RB1 back from the oblique injury that sidelined him for two games, Macdonald can now return to action starting Sunday against the New York Giants (4:25 ) rely on him PM ET, CBS).

The Seahawks didn’t really have that luxury Monday night when their defensive woes and an early 14-point deficit forced them into drop-back mode for most of their 42-29 loss at Ford Field. That meant just 12 carries for Walker, but he turned them into three touchdowns and 80 yards for his first three-score game since Seattle drafted him in the second round in 2022. He added four catches for 36 yards.

It was a three-hour reminder of what the Seahawks have been missing since he went down in the fourth quarter of their season-opening win over the Denver Broncos, erasing a strong performance (103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 attempts). Power back Zach Charbonnet played as well as anyone could expect in the victories over the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins (176 yards and three touchdowns on 40 touchdowns), but Walker is the starter for a reason.

“He’s pretty explosive,” offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said last week when asked what Seattle missed without Walker. “I think he and Zach are both incredibly talented defenders, so I think we’re really blessed to have those two guys. They are just different. I think in open space… that’s where Ken is really, really dangerous.” . He is extremely elusive and he is strong.

“I think sometimes there are guys who are sort of scat backs who go out in the open, but if you touch him, they go down pretty quickly. But I think Ken is very unique in what he can create and create that space, and then when he gets into that space, it’s very hard to bring him down and he’s strong.”

Especially when defenders can’t even touch him.

That was the case when Walker did his best Barry Sanders impression on his third goal against Detroit. He made a throw to the left, cut to the right in the second level and evaded three defenders – none of whom got their hands on him – before diving toward the pylon.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Walker reached 20.33 MPH on the play, the 12th fastest time by a ball carrier in Week 4. He reached 30.86 MPH (sixth fastest time) on a 28-yard run in the third quarter.

“Man, he’s special,” quarterback Geno Smith said after the game. “He is special. Look at the plays he makes – I don’t think any other running back could do some of the things he does. I’m surprised every time he makes one of these just crazy plays. Having him and Zach back there, having that one-two punch and being able to use those two guys in our offense just makes us a lot better.”

Back in the No. 2 role, Charbonnet had seven touches for 54 yards against Detroit.

Macdonald was proud of the fight his team showed in their first loss of the season, going up against a strong Lions team in a difficult environment despite missing half of their starting defense due to injury. Walker’s tenacious performance might have embodied this best.

“I can’t wait to show the team some of the clips,” Macdonald said. “You’re talking about a guy who just has an incredible competitive spirit and just a desire to get the extra yards. That one play on the sideline was unbelievable.”

Macdonald was referring to a 10-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter that almost defied description. Walker caught a pass in the flat and appeared to be brought down just short of the line to win on a twist tackle by Alex Anzalone, but he landed on the linebacker’s stomach and rolled to his feet. As Anzalone tried to pull him to the ground, Walker broke free with a somersault and got the first down.

“I thought, ‘Have you ever seen a play like that in your life?'” Macdonald said on his Seattle Sports 710-AM radio show. “Incredible. His skills are so great, but I think what’s underrated about Ken is just his desire and competitiveness. This guy just fights and fights for every inch more. It was a shame we lost the game because he had a hell of a performance.”

Macdonald talks about using the run to soften up defenses over the course of a game, but the Seahawks haven’t run the ball as often as their defensive-minded coach would have liked. They ranked second to last in designed rush rate (32.7%) in Week 5 and were 19th (37.4%) after three games, even with a 21-point lead over Miami.

After being forced into passing mode because their undermanned defense couldn’t stop Detroit, the Seahawks appear to be getting healthier on that side of the ball. Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Leonard Williams, Jerome Baker and Julian Love train on Thursday.

Seattle faces a Giants defense that ranks 15th in rushing yards allowed per game (118.8) and 24th in yards allowed per game (4.7). And as Macdonald knows as well as anyone, the Seahawks have a difference maker in their backfield with Walker’s return.

“I really felt him,” Macdonald said after the game. “I mean, talk about one of the guys who is going to fight to the bitter end. This guy is tough… plays are designed to close certain gaps and with him it could just go anywhere and he runs extremely hard, plays hard, he cares.

“We’ll trust him to move forward so it’s good to have him back.”