Kenneth Walker III has made a legitimate case for NFL MVP entering Week 7, and the Seahawks record pace he has set through five games is the reason why. In a league where the award has effectively become a quarterback prize, Walker is standing out as the rare non-quarterback who can still force his way into the conversation.
Through five games, Walker leads the NFL with 665 rushing yards, 6.3 yards per attempt and 277 rushing yards over expected. He is averaging 133 rushing yards per game, which puts him 100 yards clear of the next player in that category and puts his production in a class that demands attention.
Why this Seahawks record pace matters
The historical backdrop makes the numbers even more striking. Since the 1970 merger, only a few non-quarterbacks have been able to seriously threaten the MVP race, and running backs are now the only realistic challengers outside the passing game. That is why Walker’s start is noteworthy: he is not just piling up yards, he is doing so in a way that can briefly cut through the usual quarterback dominance.
The comparison to Eric Dickerson is unavoidable. In 1984, Dickerson set the single-season rushing record at 2,105 yards and averaged 131.6 rushing yards per game over 16 games. Walker’s current pace is right there with the type of production that turns a season into a historic one, even if the league’s modern voting patterns make the path to MVP far tougher.
Can a running back still break through?
The recent history is not encouraging for anyone trying to win MVP without playing quarterback. Derrick Henry rushed for 2,027 yards in 2020 and did not receive any MVP votes. Saquon Barkley followed with 2,005 yards in 2024, yet did not receive a single first-place vote and finished third behind Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson.
That is the reality Walker is up against. The award has gone to quarterbacks in 13 straight seasons and 18 of the past 19 MVP awards, which tells you how unusual this candidacy is. Even a season built on elite rushing numbers has to fight against the league’s voting habits.
Walker has given the argument real weight
Still, Walker has done everything asked of him so far. He scored two touchdowns in the Chiefs' Week 6 win over the Chargers, which was his fourth multi-touchdown game. He also owns 13.2 rush EPA, ahead of Derrick Henry's 6.8 rush EPA, while his 0.12 EPA per carry is ahead of the 0.09 EPA per carry posted by one of his closest historical comparators.
Those numbers do more than fill a box score. They show that Walker is not simply compiling volume; he is producing impact plays at a level that can shape a game and, at least for now, force a broader MVP discussion.
Entering Week 7, Walker leads the NFL in rushing yards, yards per attempt and rushing yards over expected. The question now is not whether he has made a case. It is whether he can keep pushing the Seahawks record conversation into something even bigger as the season develops.
