K9’s evolution takes center stage for Seahawks in NFC title game

With his mix of elusiveness and explosive speed, Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III has always possessed elite home-run ability.

Seahawks-Rams, Part III: Breaking down the NFC title matchup

But for much of his career, the knock on Walker was that he spent too much time dancing in the backfield and searching for the big play, rather than simply getting downhill and taking the yardage in front of him.

Recently, the fourth-year pro seems to have fixed that.

Since Week 10, Walker has been stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage on just 12.7% of his carries, according to FTN Fantasy. That’s a dramatic improvement from his 24.5% stuff rate over the first nine weeks of the season. It’s also a massive improvement from the first three seasons of his career, when he hovered in the 21-23% range.

And the best part? Walker has made those strides without sacrificing his big-play ability. Since Week 10, he’s gained 10-plus yards on 14.9% of his carries. That’s right on par with his 15.1% explosive run rate over the first half of the season.

As a result, Walker is enjoying the best stretch of his career heading into Sunday’s NFC Championship against the Los Angeles Rams. He has averaged 5.0 yards per carry since Week 10 and topped 90 yards rushing in three of his past four games, including a 116-yard, three-touchdown performance in last weekend’s 41-6 divisional round rout of the San Francisco 49ers.

“Kenneth Walker is kind of on fire right now,” Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL offensive lineman Ray Roberts told Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy this week. “I think he’s found his rhythm. He’s found a great connectedness to the offensive line. He’s getting downhill really fast.”

‘This is a first-down game’

Walker’s evolution couldn’t come at a more important time, especially with backfield mate Zach Charbonnet out for the season after suffering a torn ACL in the divisional round.

Walker had success in Seattle’s first two matchups against the Rams. In Week 11, he rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries, while adding three catches for 44 yards. In Week 16, he ripped off a 55-yard touchdown and finished with 100 yards on 11 carries, while adding three catches for 64 yards. And across both matchups, only one of his 27 carries didn’t gain yardage.

KENNETH WALKER III 55-YARD TD RUN 🚨

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Also streaming on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/4ezXS8hbok

— NFL (@NFL) December 19, 2025

The Seahawks could really use another performance like that on Sunday.

Given quarterback Sam Darnold’s well-documented turnover issues against the Rams, the best way to keep him out of trouble is to stay on schedule offensively. That means consistently churning out positive yardage, rather than falling into precarious third-and-long situations.

“To me, this is a first-down game, not a third-down game,” FOX Sports analyst Joel Klatt told Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk this week. “I think that each offense will build themselves into success or lack of success on third down based on what happens on first down, and how many times you can run the football and stay on schedule on first down.

“That’s the entire key, to me, to the game.”

Kickoff for Sunday’s NFC Championship between the Seahawks and Rams is set for 3:30 p.m., with radio coverage starting with the pregame show at noon on Seattle Sports 710 AM, KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM, and the Seattle Sports, KIRO Newsradio and official Seahawks apps.

Seattle Seahawks vs. LA Rams coverage

• Seahawks-Rams Details: TV, radio and more for NFC Championship
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