Kenneth Walker III Makes Himself At Home in Kansas City

Kenneth Walker III took his first handoff as a Kansas City Chief in the first quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night. By his 16th carry, in the third quarter, he broke free for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Kansas City closed out the NFL's Week 1 slate by beating Denver 31-10, and Walker was the reason. It was his first game since he left Seattle in free agency to sign with Kansas City this offseason. It did not take long to see why the Chiefs wanted him. He finished with 173 rushing yards, a career high, and two total touchdowns.

The numbers behind the numbers were just as loud. Walker gained 101 yards more than expected on his carries, the most by a Chiefs running back since at least 2018, and he forced 14 missed tackles, a team high over that same span. Kansas City ran him the way Andy Reid used to run backs a decade ago: 148 of his 173 yards came on old-fashioned, under-center handoffs, the first Chiefs back to do that since 2016.

The game was tight for a half. Bo Nix found tight end Evan Engram for Denver's only offensive touchdown in the first quarter, and Kansas City led just 14-7 at the break. Then Walker broke off his 60-yard score to open the third quarter, and the lead went to 21-7. Denver never got closer than 11 points again.

"The big run is the one that hurt," Broncos coach Sean Payton said afterward. "We don't set an edge. We missed a tackle."

Nix finished 17 of 28 for 131 yards with a touchdown, one interception and a lost fumble, and he was sacked four times. Denver's offense managed just 176 total yards. Defensive tackle Chris Jones recovered one of Nix's fumbles himself, and rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane intercepted Nix on Denver's opening drive. The Broncos still lost by 21.

Mahomes, playing his first game since a season-ending knee injury last December, went 15 of 27 for 184 yards and two touchdown passes, adding one interception and a 15-yard touchdown run of his own. The knee brace stayed on. The rust did not show.

"He did a really nice job," Andy Reid said of his new running back. "For him to play the way he did, I thought was spectacular."

The result also settled one of Disruptor Sports' Godzilla's Best Bet picks for NFL Week 1. Godzilla took Broncos plus 2.5 on September 12, expecting Denver's defense and Bo Nix's growth to carry the Broncos to an outright win. The 31-10 final did not cooperate.

Denver came to Kansas City with real hope on both sides of the ball. It leaves with a long flight home and 173 yards of Kenneth Walker III on the game tape.