‘Surreal Moment’: Ken Walker III Caps Off Historic Run for Seahawks With Super Bowl MVP
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Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) runs the ball as New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) defends during the third quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images [/caption]
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Long before he took his talents to the NFL, Ken Walker III torched his local brethren on the gridiron in the Pee Wee league in Arlington, Tennessee, leaving more than just a host of helpless defenders in his wake.
With each step explosive step he took, Walker’s cleats lit up, leaving a glowing, blurred trail as he rocketed down the field. Racing past the opposition with his speed and quicks while his feet emulated a Lite Brite, he earned the nickname “Thunder Shoes,” which stuck with him all the way up through his prep career at Arlington High School.
Fast forwarding nearly a decade later, Walker harkened back memories of such Pee Wee dominance, only managing to do so on the biggest stage in Super Bowl LX at Levis Stadium. Zigging and zagging through a Patriots defense that struggled to get him to the ground all night as he racked up 135 yards and five yards per rush, all that was missing was the light up cleats as he starred in the Seahawks’ 29-13 victory and garnered MVP honors, becoming the first running back in 28 years to accomplish the feat.
“If I would tell myself as a kid right now, I wouldn’t have guessed I’d be the one to win MVP,” Walker said during his MVP press conference post-game. “So this is a surreal moment. It doesn’t happen without the guys in the locker room.”
Closing out a magical season by winning their team-record 17th game and bringing the Lombardi Trophy back to the Pacific Northwest, the Seahawks achieved unprecedented success in large part due to the continued resurgence of quarterback Sam Darnold and a ferocious top-ranked scoring defense. The former carried Seattle in the NFC Championship Game two weeks earlier with 344 passing yards and three touchdowns, while the “Darkside” unit coached up by Mike Macdonald shut out New England’s high-powered attack for three quarters on Sunday.
But if there was a true constant for the Seahawks during their run to an NFC West title and through the playoff gauntlet, which included victories over four NFC West rivals in the 49ers and Rams in the final six games, Walker’s heroics as a runner and receiver out of the backfield while picking up some of the slack for an injured Zach Charbonnet may have taken the cake.
Helping spark a remarkable comeback on Thursday Night Football, he blew by multiple Rams defenders on a 55-yard touchdown run to open the second half in Week 16, ending the 38-37 victory with 100 yards on just 11 carries in addition to a 46-yard reception on a screen play. Turning in a historic performance in the Divisional Round, Walker ran roughshod on San Francisco’s banged up defense, he tallied 116 yards and three touchdowns. By finding the end zone three times in a 41-6 blowout victory, he tied legendary back Shaun Alexander for the franchise’s single game postseason record.
Even with the Rams somewhat holding him down in the NFC Championship Game rematch, Walker still had over 100 all-purpose yards - including 49 receiving yards on four catches - and a touchdown to help the Seahawks squeak past their rivals and earn a Super Bowl berth for the first time in 11 seasons.
Picking up where he left off against a New England defense that had allowed under 3.5 yards per carry to running backs in three previous playoff wins, Walker bounced an inside zone run wide left to the perimeter, turning on the rocket boosters to outrun multiple pursuing defenders to the sideline before turning upfield for a 10-yard gain. Following two drives that ended in punts, the human lightning bolt struck with two explosive runs in a three-play span, speeding to the sideline on a shotgun jet sweep for a 30-yard rush and cutting off a fantastic block by center Jalen Sundell to bolt for a 29-yard gain.
“I think later on in the first quarter or early in the second quarter is when I started to feel it,” Walker explained. “We started to break big runs. At first, Mike [Macdonald] always says it’s a softening process and then the bigger runs start to come. That’s when I really started to feel it.”
Though those three runs by Walker didn’t lead to touchdown drives, his efforts allowed Seattle to score a pair of field goals off the foot of trusty kicker Jason Myers, giving the “road” team for the neutral contest a 6-0 advantage that felt insurmountable considering how Macdonald’s defense had suffocated Drake May and New England’s offense early on. The second-highest total for a first half in Super Bowl history, he wrapped up the second quarter with 94 rushing yards, nearly hitting the 100-yard mark with two full quarters left to play, rendering the Patriots’ tough run defense suddenly vulnerable.
Coming out of halftime, Walker again set up Myers for a short field goal to extend the advantage to 12-0, this time doing the damage catching the ball out of the backfield as the Seahawks caught the Patriots being overly aggressive sending extra rushers after Darnold. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak called a screen at the perfect time on 2nd and 7, allowing just enough wiggle room for the back to be able to slink past two converging would-be tacklers before following guard Anthony Bradford down the hash marks for a 20-yard gain.
Once the fourth quarter arrived, Walker embraced the role of closer, saving a couple of his finest runs for the final 15 minutes. Gifted short field on an interception by safety Julian Love, the Seahawks handed it off to their star back on the first two plays of the drive and he showed off his full arsenal of skills picking up consecutive first downs. As he had done twice earlier, he kicked off the possession bursting outside to the right sideline, accelerating upfield for a 14-yard gain.
On the next play, looking like a prime version of former Steelers star LeVeon Bell running with great patience, Walker hesitated briefly after getting the handoff, waiting for blocks to materialize in front of him before sprinting through a crease that opened and closed in the blink of an eye, turning what appeared to be nothing into a 10-yard gain. Myers once again came on to cash in on the turnover and the back’s outstanding work knifing through the Pats’ defense, connecting from 26 yards out to push the lead to 22-7 with 5:38 to go.
"Everyone really dedicated themselves to the run game today, which is something we had to get going to really control the game," Macdonald said. "And I think this is one of the best versions of Ken that we've [seen] up to this point."
Crazily enough, Walker’s night nearly ended up being even better with an exclamation point that briefly sent the Seattle-heavy crowd into a frenzy. With only 2:10 left to play, he took a third down handoff from Darnold on a dive concept out of a heavy I-formation set behind lead blocking tight end Eric Saubert and center Olu Oluwatimi, who lined up as the fullback. Breaking a desperation tackle attempt by the safety as the lone line of defense between him and the end zone, he coasted 49 yards for a touchdown.
Unfortunately, Walker didn’t get the elusive touchdown that had evaded him all day, as Sundell got flagged for a hold that negated the explosive run. Afterward, the back expressed disappointment that the run didn’t count, but with his team winning the ultimate prize, it wasn’t that big of a deal.
Even with that touchdown run getting called back, Walker’s playoff performance stands out as one of the finest in recent memory by a running back. In three postseason games, he nearly matched Marshawn Lynch’s record of 318 combined rushing yards, amassing 313 in the trio of victories. He also eclipsed 100 yards from scrimmage in three straight playoff games, becoming the first player in team history to post such a streak.
The explosion in the postseason could not have possibly come at a better time for Walker, who will be slated to become an unrestricted free agent next month and may now be the best running back available after his run to a Super Bowl MVP. Whether or not the Seahawks decide to offer him a new contract or he heads elsewhere remains to be seen, and that choice will be a fascinating one for general manager John Schneider and the front office to make over the next few weeks as they shift into offseason mode.
Running backs tend to have shorter shelf lives than any other position due to the wear and tear that comes with constantly getting mashed by NFL tacklers. And for that reason, teams have often been hesitant to invest second contracts in ball carriers, offering less guaranteed money and smaller contracts annually than the vast majority of other positions.
But in the past couple of years, the Eagles and Ravens took a gamble signing Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry to lucrative multi-year deals and both moves paid major dividends, as Barkley led Philadelphia to a Super Bowl win only two seasons ago and Henry hasn’t slowed down even in his mid-30s with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. With Walker just recently turning 25 years old and showing he can carry an offense as a feature back over the past month, several suitors could be ready to throw out the checkbook to sign him if he actually hits the market.
From Seattle’s perspective, with Charbonnet likely to miss at least part of the 2026 regular season as he works back from a torn ACL and Kenny McIntosh coming off the same injury, allowing Walker to leave would present a major risk. George Holani would be the only back on the current 53-man roster not coming off a significant injury. The team also currently has only four draft picks in April, meaning there’s limited resources to replenish depth on that front as well.
Maybe most importantly, Seattle already has invested second contracts in tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas and guard Grey Zabel just finished his rookie year, ensuring three of the team’s five offensive line starters are under contract for at least the next three years together. With that young nucleus ready to run it back, not throwing big bucks at Walker to keep the dynamic back would be a bizarre pivot, as the personnel around him would be conducive to outstanding production in coming seasons as long as everyone stays healthy.
Based on his remarkable performance down the stretch and how teammates value him as a glue guy in the locker room, with ample cap space to work with rolling into the new league year, it would be a surprise if the Seahawks don’t make a serious push to re-sign Walker, though money will talk as it always does. Along with a substantial pay bump, maybe, just maybe, the team can also get “Thunder Shoes” some light up cleats to don on his next contract.
