Seahawks Hoping Ken Walker III Provides Spark vs. Tough Vikings' Defense

The Vikings have one of the best run defenses in the NFL, but they've shown cracks in the armor as of late. Can Ken Walker III and the Seahawks capitalize?

Nov 3, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) carries the ball while guarded by Los Angeles Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (4) during the first half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

RENTON, Wash. - As the Seattle Seahawks prepare to face the Minnesota Vikings in a critical Week 16 matchup on Sunday, offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has plenty of things to worry about that may be keeping him up at night this week.

Led by defensive coordinator Brian Flores, the Vikings rank second in the NFL in points allowed per game (18.0), first in the NFL in interceptions, and fourth in sacks. Deploying a blitz-heavy scheme that keeps quarterbacks on their toes with pre-snap disguises both along the front line and in the secondary coverage-wise, they have held eight of their 14 opponents to 17 points or less, consistently stifling opposing offenses with relentless pressure.

Squaring off with a Minnesota squad that has blitzed nearly 50 percent of its defensive snaps this season and created turnovers in bunches, Grubb knows Seattle has got to "be dialed in" game-plan and execution wise to make the defense pay for their aggressiveness.

"You've got to have a good plan, obviously," Grubb said on Thursday. "Because those guys play really hard, number one, and they execute their system at a really high level. So, the stress that they create on offenses is generated by confusion and all the things that they put on tape that that coach works on. So, I think it's more relative to just making sure that your guys are dialed into the game plan. Whatever you feel like you're going to be able to attack them with, you need to go at that."

After leaving last Sunday's loss to the Packers with a knee injury, Geno Smith has been a full participant in practice this week, which certainly will help the Seahawks as they ready for Flores' big bag of tricks. The 12-year veteran has seen everything under center and compared how the Vikings operate to the Cardinals, who don't blitz at near the same rate but utilize sim pressure packages in similar fashion to confuse quarterbacks on who is coming and who isn't.

But considering Seattle's struggles protecting Smith all year and Minnesota's dominant, multi-faceted pass rush, running the football effectively will be imperative to pull off an upset on Sunday. And while the Vikings rank second in the NFL in run defense and first in EPA per run play, Grubb believes the return of a healthy Ken Walker III could be a major difference maker finding success against them on the ground.

"Ken in general is obviously a really explosive runner.  Anytime you have a guy like that and you're working against a good defense and you're working just to get cracks in daylight, having a guy like Ken is obviously advantageous," Grubb said. "It's just that the daylight doesn't have to be quite as much and he can make things happen for you off-script."

Despite Walker missing the past two games with a calf injury, the Seahawks have enjoyed their best two-game stretch running the football with Zach Charbonnet thriving in his stead. They bullied the Cardinals with a season-best 176 rushing yards in a 30-18 win in Arizona, including a 51-yard touchdown run by Charbonnet, and rushed for 80 yards on only 16 carries against the Packers, averaging 5.4 yards per carry over the two contests.

As great as Charbonnet has performed as a replacement in the starting lineup, however, he doesn't possess Walker's extra gear and overall explosiveness. As Grubb noted, with legitimate 4.3 speed, he has the burst to rocket through a tiny crease and leave defenders in the dust, evidenced by the 17 designed runs of 15-plus yards he produced as a rookie in 2022.

Unfortunately, to this point, Seattle hasn't been able to take advantage of Walker's elite athletic gifts and home run hitting ability this season due to subpar blocking in front of him, as the talented back has been held to 3.7 yards per carry in 10 starts. Regularly getting hit in the backfield, most of his yardage has come after contact, as he has forced 58 missed tackles, the fourth-most among running backs according to Pro Football Focus.

But for as bad as his stat line looks compared to his first two NFL seasons, there's reason for optimism that Walker can finish the regular season on a strong note, starting with Sunday's game against the Vikings.

Since plugging rookie Sataoa Laumea into the starting lineup at right guard, the Seahawks have played three games with the same offensive line. Even though center Olu Oluwatimi exited in the second quarter in the loss to the Packers, rookie Jalen Sundell filled in admirably, and with the group doing a better job moving the line of scrimmage, they have averaged 113 rushing yards per game during that span.

In addition, the Vikings have been exposed on the ground over the past three weeks themselves. Though they've gone 3-0 against the Cardinals, Falcons, and Bears thanks to their explosive offensive putting points a bunch of points on the scoreboard, those three opponents all rushed for at least 113 yards, amassing 425 combined yards and a 4.6 yards per carry average.

Previously one of the stingiest run defenses in the NFL, Minnesota also has allowed eight runs of 12 yards or more in those three games, tied for the sixth-most in the league. From Week 1 to Week 12, they only allowed 14 such runs in 11 games.

At this stage of the season, injuries piling up may be playing a role in the Vikings' run game regression, as defensive tackle Harrison Phillips has been battling through a knee injury and reserve defensive tackle Jalen Redmond will miss Sunday's game with a concussion. Limited depth in the trenches has started to show up with opponents creating more push at the line of scrimmage and reaching linebackers more often against them.

But the Seahawks have also had their share of injuries, including Oluwatimi being banged up and Abraham Lucas still not quite all the way back as he plays at less than 100 percent. This late in the schedule, grit plays a huge factor in who wins games with everyone nursing bumps and bruises, and Grubb is excited to see how the offensive line responds in a playoff atmosphere with hopes a healthy Walker will be able to play the role of sparkplug with quality blocking in front of him.

"They're up against the same situation as us. Every NFL team has different levels of health at this point. It's a long season, I think we're plenty healthy up front, and the guys will be ready to take on the challenge. It's good for them to have to get back on the horse in a game like this where they know the level of play is going to have to be really high."

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