Dave Boling: Kenneth Walker III is the real deal, Seahawks win over Chargers proves they may be too
Listen, there was a lot to admire about the Seahawks’ 37-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, which not only moved them into first place of their division, but also affixed the stamp of legitimacy on a team expected to be among the NFL’s weakest.
Now 4-3, the Seahawks have defied the odds with the league’s most accurate passer, a suddenly revived defense, and a rookie running back who has come on in the past three weeks to compile big statistics and a highlight reel of electrifying breakaway runs.
Sunday, Ken Walker III had his biggest day of his brief career, 23 rushes for 168 yards and two touchdowns – the second score a 74-yard scalding of the Chargers defense to put the game out of reach.
We could see this coming when he cracked off a 69-yard scoring run at New Orleans three weeks ago. And when starter Rashaad Penny went down for the year with an ankle injury against the Saints, Walker moved into the starting role against Arizona (21 rushes, 97 yards).
He showed it all against the Chargers, his patience behind the blockers, his jump-cuts in traffic, his gear shifts that throw the defender off balance at the edge. All so rare for a rookie, such raw talent but also a maturity in his approach.
Who might he remind Seahawk observers of? Seemed obvious to me, so I put in a call to an certain insurance salesman in suburban Portland.
Curt Warner chuckled when told that 2022 Ken Walker III looked a lot like Curt Warner of 1983.
“That’s appreciated; I like hearing that,” Warner said. “I don’t compare myself to anybody since everybody has their own style, but I guess there are some similarities.”
Warner (Penn State) was the third player taken in the 1983 draft behind John Elway and Eric Dickerson. New Seahawks coach Chuck Knox wanted a workhorse back, and they traded three draft picks to get up to No. 3 to get Warner.
Warner proved himself immediately worthy, leading the AFC in rushing (1,449 yards and 13 touchdowns) as a rookie Pro Bowl pick. As productive as he was, he never had 168 yards in any of his first seven career games as Walker did on Sunday.
“He’s very patient at the point of attack, and that allows him to run with his eyes,” Warner said. “As Chuck Knox used to say, ‘run to daylight,’ and ‘run where they ain’t.’ He obviously does that.”
People who are now somehow able to chart players’ miles-per-hour running speed reported that Walker topped 22 miles per hour on his long breakaway, the highest speed of a back this season. Warner could see the exceptional burst.
“He finds ways to get to the outside and he not only sees it, but has the ability to get there; not everybody has that,” Warner said.
Seahawk teammates used to call Warner the “Land Crab” for his ability to dart laterally away from defenders. It requires a sense for where defenders are and where holes will open or close as the play develops, Warner said.
Even watching the games on television, Warner gets a feeling for the flow of play.
“I can see what the backs are doing. You can tell the difference in where the good ones are looking. You can tell who are the ones who’ve got it and who doesn’t, and this guy has it.”
The next test for the Hawks is a visit from the surprising 6-1 New York Giants. Immediately after the upset of the Chargers, the Hawks were installed as 2-point favorites over the Giants.
“Well, the quarterback (Geno Smith) has proven a lot of people wrong,” Warner said. “He took advantage of all those years (as a backup) and learned his lessons and is executing at a very high level. This is no accident, he’s got a strong arm and he’s accurate. I hope he keeps doing what he’s doing.”
Walker won’t be catching anybody by surprise anymore. “The next thing for him will be when defenses start adapting to stop him,” Warner said. “But he’ll adapt, too; it looks like he’s got all the skills to do it.”
The Seahawks have won three of the last four games with a defense that has found its footing, a quarterback that is playing better than any point in his career, and a momentum fueled by the joy of closing the mouths of the army of critics that expected them to struggle along near the bottom of the standings.
These wins haven’t been flukes. They’re legitimate.
For Walker, comparisons to somebody like Warner are high praise given the small sample of games. But Curt Warner says Walker is the real deal. And he would know one when he sees one.