The Chiefs finally found the explosive run game they’ve been missing

| Getty Images During the 2024 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs generated seven explosive runs on offense, defined as runs of 20 yards or more. That was near the bottom of the league. A year ago the Chiefs offense managed only three of those such plays — the worst mark in the NFL — with just one such run coming from a running back. On Monday night against the Denver Broncos, new Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III had two such runs alone, doubling the number of explosive runs from a running back from last season, and giving this Kansas City offense a dangerous new component. By the time the game ended, Walker had picked up 173 rushing yards on 23 carries, with those rushing yards representing a career-high number. Those were also the most rushing yards for a Chiefs player in their Kansas City debut, besting the 148 rushing yards from Kareem Hunt back in 2017. It was also the fourth-highest rushing total from a player in their first game with a new team in league history. Andy Reid did not waste any time getting Walker involved in the offense, as the new Chiefs running back had seven carries for 32 yards on Kansas City’s first drive of the 2026 season. Those seven plays includes runs on the interior: Kenneth Walker III running hard in his first game as a Chief DENvsKC on ESPN Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/FWNfP47BY3 — NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2026 And plays to the edge: K9 getting fed 💪 DENvsKC on ESPN Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/carNxdYLbd — NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2026 There was something else notable about those two runs: They came with Mahomes aligned under center, rather than in the shotgun. In fact, four of Walker’s carries on the opening drive came with Mahomes under center, a sign that Kansas City was hoping to improve another weakness of their running game from the past few seasons. By the time the night came to a close, the vast majority of Walker’s rushing yards came from the under-center run game: Walker gained 148 of his 173 rushing yards on under center runs against the Broncos. No other Chiefs running back has recorded 120 or more rushing yards from under center runs in a single game since at least 2016.#DENvsKC | #ChiefsKingdom — Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 15, 2026 That included both of those explosive running plays. The first came with just over four minutes left in the first half, with the game knotted at 7-7. Walker picks up 28 yards on a run to the left side, behind a zone-blocking scheme and out of 12 offensive personnel, with tight ends Travis Kelce and Noah Gray in the game: Kenneth Walker's two explosive runs from last night. First one here, watch LG Kingsley Suamataia get to the second level: — Mark Schofield (@markschofield.bsky.social) 2026-09-15T11:37:54.529Z As noted, watch left guard Kingsley Suamataia get to the second level on his block, helping to clear the way for Walker. Then came the big play, a 60-yard touchdown run on 4th-and-inches early in the second half.: And the second, with a lot of big boys on the field for KC: — Mark Schofield (@markschofield.bsky.social) 2026-09-15T11:40:28.344Z Kansas City used heavy personnel on this play, not only bringing a pair of extra linemen into the game but also defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga, who lined up at fullback. The result? A 60-yard scoring burst that saw Walker break not only a tackle near the line of scrimmage, but another tackle more than 40 yards downfield, as he bullied his way into the end zone. Missed tackles were another theme from last night, as Walker forced 14 missed tackles against the Broncos, the most by a Kansas City player since 2018: Kenneth Walker III generated +101 rushing yards over expected against the Broncos, the most by a Chiefs running back since at least 2018. Walker also forced 14 missed tackles, the most by any Chiefs player in a game over that span.#DENvsKC | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/8K4ldeYFlT — Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 15, 2026 The story coming into the game was the health of Mahomes, who was playing nine months to the day after tearing the ACL and LCL in his left knee. Mahomes did look rusty at times, but a touchdown scamper to close off Kansas City’s opening drive likely sent shivers down the spines of AFC defensive coordinators. But what we saw from this Chiefs running game, and Walker, might be even scarier.

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