After a dominant debut at Arrowhead, the Super Bowl MVP looks to punish a struggling Colts defense and cement his status as the NFL’s premier rushing threat.
The Kansas City Chiefs kicked off the 2026 NFL regular season with a bang. Kansas City hosted the reigning AFC West champion Denver Broncos, but the Chiefs had no issues with a 31-10 blowout win at Arrowhead Stadium.
Walker signed a three-year, $45 million contract in free agency, not even six weeks after being named the Super Bowl MVP in the Seattle Seahawks' win over the New England Patriots.
Walker showed he was worth every penny in Week 1, rushing for 173 yards with a score on 23 carries, and adding three catches for 18 yards and another touchdown.
Ahead of Week 2, the NFL.com crew had some bold predictions, and draft analyst Lance Zierlein predicts that Walker will have another mammoth game.
"In a surprisingly close game vs. Indianapolis, Kansas City RB Kenneth Walker III rushes for more than 150 yards for the second straight week and adds two more TDs on the ground. The rest of the AFC is forced to confront the fact that the Chiefs have found a new way to win," he wrote.
The Chiefs have been needing a star running back for quite some time, and they were linked to Notre Dame star Jeremiyah Love, although that changed once they signed Walker at the beginning of free agency.
Walker is certainly capable of being a workhorse, and new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy wasted no time giving Walker a ton of carries.
In Week 2, the Chiefs take on the Indianapolis Colts, and they just allowed 144 yards and three touchdowns to Derrick henry on 24 carries.
Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson also had 40 yards and a score on the ground, so at least after one week, the Colts' rushing defense looks skeptical.
Emmett Johnson was the only other Kansas City running back to recorded any carries in Week 1, and he had eight attempts for 24 yards.
Walker is coming off a monster year in Seattle, when he had 221 carries for 1,027 yards and five touchdowns in 17 regular-season games. That was while sharing the workload for some time with Zach Charbonnet.
So, there is certainly an argument that Walker can surpass those numbers in 2026 with the Chiefs, especially if Week 1's game is any indication.
The Chiefs then face the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders before an early bye in Week 5, so there is a solid chance that Walker goes into the bye as the lead rusher in the NFL.
