Don't Miss

India's CWG 2026 Medal Tally Lowest In 24 Years, Yet Among The Best

Tactical Self-Destruction: How England Threw Away Their World Cup Final Dream

Bundesliga Blueprint: How Zee Plans To Complete India's Football Jigsaw

Manuel Neuer Doesn't Know Where To Stop: Not On The Pitch, Not In His Career

Advertisement

ENG

Login

Dark / Light mode

Oct 10,2026 01:05 AM IST

Patrick Mahomes May Have Found The Missing Piece In The Chiefs' Offense, Creating A Dangerous New Problem For Defenses

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

Settings

Select Language

Dark / Light mode

Search

US

arrow-down reddit snapchat twitter facebook comments email printer search bell top-nav reddit-fill snapchat-fill twitter-fill facebook-fill share whatsapp-fill bookmark arrow-rgt arrow-next arrow-up refresh close link cog star book zap cricket football tennis formula-1 badminton hockey golf boxing ndtv-n check left-arrow right-arrow

Sports Home US Sports NFL Patrick Mahomes May Have Found The Missing Piece In The Chiefs Offense Creating A Dangerous New Problem For Defenses

Related Articles

Story ProgressBack to home

Patrick Mahomes May Have Found The Missing Piece In The Chiefs' Offense, Creating A Dangerous New Problem For Defenses

Kenneth Walker has rushed for 173 and 177 yards in two games, giving Patrick Mahomes a powerful new weapon. His emergence could force defenses into impossible choices against the unbeaten Chiefs.

Read Time: 3 min

facebook

twitter

WhatsApp

reddit

E-mail

Chiefs find a new way to make Patrick Mahomes even more dangerous© X (Formerly Twitter)/@chiefs

Kenneth Walker III ran for 177 yards as Kansas City edged the Raiders 30-27, moving the Chiefs to 4-0. His 2-yard touchdown with 3:21 remaining put Kansas City ahead 23-19. Then Las Vegas fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Walker took advantage again, scoring another touchdown that gave the Chiefs enough cushion to withstand a late push. Patrick Mahomes remains unbeaten in six starts at Allegiant Stadium, but this game was really about what Walker is adding to the offense. The running back also rushed for 173 yards in Week 1. Two massive performances in the opening four weeks are starting to look like more than a hot streak, and that creates a difficult question for opposing defenses.

Why is Kenneth Walker such a problem for defenses?

The challenge for defenses starts with how they approach Mahomes. Teams have often tried to take away Kansas City's passing game by dropping extra defenders into coverage. That can leave room underneath, and Walker has shown he can make defenses pay for it.

If the secondary stays deep, Walker can attack the space in front of it. If a safety moves closer to the line to help against the run, Mahomes suddenly has one less defender to account for downfield. Pick your poison, essentially.

Travis Kelce noticed the impact almost immediately. Following Week 1, he wrote that Walker "completely changes the Chiefs offense," and the numbers support that assessment. Walker finished that game with 173 rushing yards, with 148 of them coming while Mahomes was on the field.

For years, Kansas City has relied on Mahomes to find a way whenever defenses successfully removed one part of the offense. Walker gives the Chiefs another option, and he does not need Mahomes to create every big play.

Week 1 provided another example. Early in the third quarter, Kansas City faced fourth-and-1 from its own 40-yard line and handed the ball to Walker. Later, he caught a short touchdown pass from Mahomes in the fourth quarter. Mahomes finished without needing a huge statistical performance in the 31-10 victory, something that has not always been the case for the Chiefs.

What does Walker's success mean for Mahomes and the offense?

More than anything, Walker can take some pressure off Patrick Mahomes.

The quarterback is coming back from a torn ACL, while Kansas City is also trying to rebound from its first losing season in 13 years. Mahomes ran for a career-high 422 yards last season, an indication of how often he had to make plays with his legs when the offense needed something to happen.

Before the season, Mahomes promised "a new version of the Chiefs" that would continue to dominate. Walker could be a major part of that change.

There is, however, one concern for Kansas City. Rashee Rice left Sunday's game in the first quarter with a hamstring injury, creating uncertainty around one of the team's most productive targets. Rice has 13 catches for 190 yards through four games, so an extended absence would leave a significant hole.

Walker showed that Kansas City can still move the ball on the ground when the passing attack is not at its best. But the Chiefs will need their top receivers available if they want the offense to reach its full potential.

Four games are hardly enough to predict a championship season. Still, the early signs are difficult to dismiss. Kansas City is 4-0, Walker has already produced two enormous rushing performances, and the Chiefs suddenly have another player capable of forcing defenses to change their plans.

That could be the biggest difference of all. Opponents can focus heavily on Mahomes, but doing so may leave Walker with exactly the kind of space he needs.

Topics mentioned in this article

NFL

Get the Latest Cricket, Asian Games 2026, Football , Hockey, Badminton Scores, F1 Results at NDTV Sports. Like Us On Facebook Or Follow Us On Twitter For More Sports Updates. You Can Also Download The NDTV Cricket App For Android Or iOS.

Advertisement

Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com

Advertisement

Advertisement

Now Trending

Advertisement

Trending Links

Follow us on:

facebook

twitter

Cricket

Football

More Sports

Formula 1 Tennis Hockey Badminton Golf Nba Kabaddi Shooting Swimming Table Tennis

This website follows the DNPA Code of Ethics © Copyright NDTV Convergence Limited 2026. All rights reserved.