Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald was marveling at what Kenneth Walker III did Monday night in his return to Seattle's backfield when he brought up an unpleasant memory.
"This guy's playing at a really high level," Macdonald said. "How hard he plays on a down-in, down-out basis, unfortunately, I witnessed it first hand at Michigan State."
Macdonald was referring to what happened on Oct. 30, 2021, during his lone season as Michigan's defensive coordinator. The Wolverines suffered their first loss of the season that day thanks in large part to Walker, who rushed for 197 yards and a school-record-tying five touchdowns to lead the Spartans to a 37-33 win.
"So it's nothing new on his front," Macdonald said.
Seattle's first-year head coach is happy to have Walker on his side, and with the Seahawks' RB1 back from the oblique injury that sidelined him for two games, Macdonald can now lean on him starting Sunday against the New York Giants (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS).
The Seahawks didn't really have that luxury Monday night, when their defensive struggles and an early 14-point deficit forced them into drop-back mode for much of their 42-29 loss at Ford Field. That meant only 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 had been without since he went down in the fourth quarter of their season-opening win over the Denver Broncos, cutting short what had been a strong performance (103 rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 attempts). Power back Zach Charbonnet filled in as well as anyone could have expected (176 yards and three TDs on 40 touches) in wins over the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, but Walker is the starter for a reason.
"He's pretty explosive," offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb said last week when asked what Seattle had been missing with Walker out. "I think him and Zach are both crazy talented backs, so I think we're really blessed to have both of those guys. They're just different. I think in the open space ... that's where Ken is really, really dangerous. He's extremely difficult to get a hand on and he's strong.
"I think sometimes there's guys that are scat backs, so to speak, that get out in open space but you put a hand on him and they might go down pretty quickly. But Ken, I think, is very unique that he can create and generate that space and then when he gets into that space he's very difficult to bring 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 score against Detroit. He took a toss to the left, cut back to the right in the second level and evaded three defenders -- none of whom got a hand on him -- before diving towards the pylon.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Walker hit 20.33 MPH on the play, the 12th-fastest time by a ball carrier in Week 4. He hit 30.86 MPH (sixth-fastest) on a 28-yard run in the third quarter.
"Man, he's special," quarterback Geno Smith said postgame. "He's special. You see the plays that he's making -- I don't think any other running back could do some of the stuff that he's doing. I'm surprised every time he makes one of those just crazy plays. To have him and Zach back there, to have that one-two punch and to be able to utilize both of those guys within our offense, it just makes us that much 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 its first loss of the season, hanging with a strong Lions team in a difficult environment despite missing half their starting defense due to injuries. Walker's hard-nosed performance might have embodied it best.
"I can't wait to show some of the clips to the team," Macdonald said. "You talk about a guy that's just an incredible competitive spirit, and just the will to get the extra [yards]. The one play on the sideline was incredible."
Macdonald was referring to a second-quarter catch and run for 10 yards that almost defied description. Walker caught a pass in the flat and appeared to be taken down short of the line to gain by a twisting tackle from Alex Anzalone, but he landed on the linebacker's stomach and rolled onto his feet. With Anzalone trying to drag him down, Walker broke free with a somersault and picked up a first down.
"I was like, 'Have you ever seen a play like that in your life?'" Macdonald said on his Seattle Sports 710-AM radio show. "Unbelievable. His skillset is so great, but I think what's underrated about Ken is just his will and competitiveness. This guy is just fighting and clawing for every extra inch. It was a bummer we lost the game because he had a heck of a performance."
Macdonald talks about using the run to soften defenses over the course of a game, but the Seahawks haven't ran the ball as much as their defensive-minded coach would like. They rank second-to-last in designed rush rate entering Week 5 (32.7%) and were 19th (37.4%) after three games, even with a 21-point in over Miami.
After being forced into passing mode because their short-handed defense couldn't stop Detroit, the Seahawks appear to be getting healthier on that side of the ball, with Uchenna Nwosu, Boye Mafe, Leonard Williams, Jerome Baker and Julian Love all practicing Thursday.
Seattle will face a Giants defense that ranks 15th in rushing yards allowed per game (118.8) and 24th in yards allowed per carry (4.7). And as Macdonald knows as well as anyone, the Seahawks have a difference-maker in their backfield now that Walker has returned.
"I really felt him," Macdonald said postgame. "I mean, talk about one of the guys that's going to fight to the bitter end. This guy is tough as nails ... Plays are designed to go in certain gaps, and with him, it just could go anywhere, and he runs extremely hard, plays hard, he cares.
"We're going to be leaning on him moving forward, so it's good to have him back."
