The Kansas City Chiefs have big issues up front, and their ongoing injury updates continue to reveal bad surprises on what seems like a daily basis. But that didn’t stop quarterback Patrick Mahomes from once again talking up running back Kenneth Walker III, who will also be facing a formidable test against the Denver Broncos defense on Monday night.
“You’ve got to use that guy,” Mahomes said of Walker in his Thursday press conference in a report from Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “I mean, he’s a talented football player. He runs tough. He has speed. He can break a touchdown at any moment. He can catch the ball. He does kind of it all.”
Let’s try the reality check version of that. Walker has been considered a poor receiver for most of his career, but the Chiefs are betting that they can use him in the screen game and have success.
The idea that Walker can score touchdowns from anywhere is also a stretch. Last year he proved he can get big gains and chunk plays for the Seattle Seahawks, but Walker is going to get chased down on most runs that extend for more than 20-30 yards. He’s deceptively fast in the open field, but Walker’s not a pure burner.
He is talented and tough, though, and he’ll need to be on Monday night. The Broncos will likely load up the box to shut him down, and they’ll dare Mahomes to beat him deep with receivers Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice.
“When you have those guys on your team, you find ways to get them the football,” Mahomes added. “If that’s either just handing the ball off to them or throwing it to them, you’ve got to and so we got him for a reason. He came in with the right mindset and mentality, and he’s really attacked this offseason.
“And so, I think he’s as excited as anybody to get out there in Arrowhead and have Chiefs Kingdom behind him, and so him as well as Emmett [Johnson] and Brashard [Smith], I mean, we’ve got a good running back room, and we’ll utilize those guys within this offense.”
The translation there is that the Chiefs are going to try and muddy up this game and shorten it using the run game, then limit the Broncos to field goals. It’s not a bad formula, but that offensive line situation right now is scary to be sure.
