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# ‘Getting Into a Groove’: How Ken Walker III, Seahawks’ Emerging Run Game Fueled Super Bowl Run
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/getting-into-a-groove-how-ken-walker-iii-seattle-seahawks-emerging-run-game-fueled-super-bowl-run/
- Published: 2026-01-30T23:24:13.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T05:53:57.000Z
- Author: Corbin Smith
- Tags: Features, Analysis, Seahawks, Anthony Bradford, Ken Walker III, Grey Zabel, Jalen Sundell

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="5329"\]

![  Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) celebrates after running for a touchdown in the first half against the Los Angeles Rams in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/usatsi_28086208-format-original.jpg)

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) celebrates after running for a touchdown in the first half against the Los Angeles Rams in the 2026 NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images \[/caption\]

RENTON, Wash. - Scoring a 38-14 blowout win over the Washington Commanders coming out of their Week 8 bye, the Seattle Seahawks were right in the mix for an NFC West title with a 6-2 start, largely driven by the stellar play of quarterback Sam Darnold and a stingy, opportunistic defense.

But despite averaging nearly 29 points per game in their first eight contests, the Seahawks weren’t clicking on full cylinders just yet offensively. While Darnold had steered one of the most explosive passing attacks in the NFL, the strong run game that had been promised in offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s scheme earlier in the spring had not manifested into reality, as the team ranked 24th in rushing yards (831), 31st in yards per carry (3.7), and 24th in Expected Points Added (EPA) per rush (-0.11) after nine weeks.

As the temperatures started to drop and the season progressed into the second half of the schedule, Darnold endured a rough patch of his own, including throwing four interceptions in a 21-19 loss to the Rams in Week 11\. From Week 10 to Week 13, he threw only three touchdown passes compared to five picks while averaging under 200 passing yards per game, and the aerial attack that lit up the skies in September and October had regressed into a November lull.

Fortunately, Darnold’s moderate slump coincided with Kubiak’s run game finally getting untracked and finding a semblance of consistency, a development that turned into a major game changer for Seattle battling for a division title and the top seed in the NFC. Culminating with 180 rushing yards in an NFC West-clinching win over San Francisco in the season finale, the game guard Anthony Bradford cited as the true turning point, complementary offensive balance had materialized just in time for a Super Bowl run.

“I feel like what really popped for us was the Niners game, the last game of the season,” Bradford said prior to practice on Friday. “I feel like that was a staple of what we were doing like two, three weeks before that. We were getting into a groove and everything just started coming together. We’ve had the mindset that one game it will finally hit. It gave us the confidence to want to do it over and over again for the 12s.”

Starting in Week 10 through the finale in Santa Clara, where they now will be vying for a Lombardi Trophy at Levis Stadium after beating the Rams in the NFC Championship Game, the Seahawks turned over a new leaf with a suddenly prolific and efficient ground game that rivaled the best in the league down the stretch. Over their final nine games, they averaged north of 140 rushing yards per game, the fourth-best rate in the NFL in that span, while also finishing in the top 10 in yards per carry (4.5), rushing touchdowns (10), and explosive rushes (22).

Led by a much-improved offensive line and the dynamic playmaking ability of Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, Seattle fully embraced a budding ground ‘n pound identity in the final three weeks. Defeating playoff-bound teams in three straight games to run their win streak to seven, the Seahawks punished the Rams, Panthers, and 49ers by averaging 171.3 rushing yards per game and ripping off 10 explosive runs during that span, setting the tone at the line of scrimmage and regularly winning with blocks at the second level while the running backs ran wild with confidence and conviction.

What started to click for the Seahawks? Enjoying a steady second half in his third season on his own accord, Bradford pointed to the offensive line group as a whole mastering the techniques championed and instructed by long-time NFL assistant coach John Benton as they built continuity over the course of the season, citing the harnessing of the fine details such as hand placement and angles for zone blocking assignments as crucial to improved consistency creating run lanes for the backs behind them.

“I just feel like it was us honing in on our details, just keep working at the same thing, getting better at it every day that we get an opportunity to go out and practice,” Bradford explained. “Hard work pays off and it finally started to pay off. And it was just a test to what we've been working on and how much we work throughout the week. So I feel like it's just us honing in on the details and taking it serious.”

With one of the youngest offensive lines in the league - right tackle Abraham Lucas stands as the “elder statesmen” of the group at 27 years old - experience fostered improved play across the board as the season progressed. Along with Bradford playing the best ball of his career, rookie left guard Grey Zabel performed beyond his years as the franchise anchor in the middle, while center Jalen Sundell’s return from a knee injury overlapped with Seattle’s run game surge.

Since Sundell’s return in Week 15, the Seahawks have rushed for 814 yards - 315 rushing yards per game - and scored nine rushing touchdowns in their past six games. While other factors have helped ignite the run game, there’s no question the second-year pivot man, who won the team’s “Top Hawk” award for his offseason program, has been a catalyst at the pivot position and looks the part of a long-term starter at a position the franchise has played musical chairs with for a decade.

“You want to give him all the credit in the world for how he's playing. He's playing great football,” Macdonald said. “As the center, you've got to make the right calls and you've got to be decisive and you've got to take the line and you've got to be on your stuff because that's where it starts. But just really pleased with where he is right now as a player, and he's got a great future.”

Meanwhile, even with left tackle Charles Cross missing each of the aforementioned final three games with a hamstring injury, the Seahawks didn’t miss a beat with a quality swing tackle in Josh Jones filling in admirably for him. The team didn’t miss a beat, another nod to Benton and the rest of the coaching staff for their work keeping reserves ready for the moment when called upon.

Strong run games require reliable blocking up front, but the best rushing attacks also feature game-changing backs who can create their own yardage and hit home runs. With Charbonnet now lost for the rest of the year with a torn ACL, Walker has taken on the workhorse role to the best of his ability at the perfect time in the playoffs as he approaches free agency in March, regularly putting defenders into pretzel-like knots with video game-worthy jukes and pushing the pile forward with underrated pop behind his pads.

Delivering in critical moments, Walker gashed the Rams for a 55-yard touchdown run to open the second half in a 38-37 overtime win in Week 16, ending the contest with exactly 100 rushing yards on 11 carries. Two weeks later, he lit up the 49ers averaging 6.1 yards per carry and coming up just short of the 100-yard mark again, only to follow up against the same opponent in the Divisional Round with 116 rushing yards and a franchise record three rushing touchdowns to key a 41-6 blowout win.

“Just seeing him just do his thing, K9 is a different type of running back, different type of dude,” Bradford said. “And just seeing him get the ball and flying past you and making dudes miss. But that’s just K9\. So it was cool to see us actually getting appreciated.”

Even while averaging just 3.3 yards per carry in the NFC Championship Game, Walker’s impact transcended numbers, starting with a thrilling two-yard touchdown run to open the contest where he bounced an inside zone wide right and outran defensive end Byron Young for the right pylon. He later turned in a highlight reel juke to make Omar Speights miss in the backfield and transform a potential tackle for loss into an eight-yard gain, drawing collective “oooos” from the crowd.

While the visitors did a fine job of bottling him up overall, the threat of Walker breaking free for another long run and overall respect for the Seahawks’ run game kept the Rams engaged trying to find ways to slow him down and created voids in coverage, helping open up play action for Darnold, who completed eight out of 11 attempts for 98 yards, a touchdown, and a 130.1 passer rating on such throws to lead to the historic win at Lumen Field.

"We're hard to stop when everybody's clicking,” Walker said afterward. “The whole line doing their job, the receivers doing their job, running backs and tight ends. We’re hard to stop because we have so many weapons."

Humming like a well-oiled machine at this point, the Seahawks will need Walker and the offensive line to shine once more to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, and their final opponent will make that quest easier said than done. The Patriots finished sixth in the NFL in run defense and allowed only 11 rushing touchdowns in the regular season, the fourth-fewest in the league, numbers that pale in comparison to how well they have shut down running backs in the postseason.

Starting with a Wild Card round beatdown of the Chargers, spearheaded by a talented interior defensive line featuring Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, the Patriots have yielded just 214 rushing yards and 3.1 yards per carry in three playoff games. This included completely stymying the Texans’ run game by allowing only 48 yards on 22 carries for a dismal 2.2 yards per carry in the Divisional Round and holding the Broncos to under 80 rushing yards in cold, snowy conditions last Sunday.

Set to deal with Williams and Barmore in the trenches, Bradford respects New England’s talent up front and understands Seattle will have to take physicality up another notch or two to be able to run effectively against a defense that has been as stout as any at eating up ball carriers. But after rushing for over 100 yards in nine of the past 11 games, including eight times during the current nine-game winning streak, he and his line mates have no shortage of confidence with the electric Walker behind them that they can keep a well-oiled machine running against anyone as long as they don’t beat themselves regardless of the stage.

“They’re a good group of guys. They play good football, tough football, smart football. We just gotta go out there and do our job. It’s some pretty big dudes, so we just gotta hone in on being physical and winning the game there in the trenches. Be more physical than they are for a little bit longer and just limit our mistakes.”