Denver Broncos HC Sean Payton’s admission about Kansas City Chiefs’ run game validates Kenneth Walker and Emmett Johnson’s Week 1 in a big way
The Kansas City Chiefs did whatever they wanted to in the run game against Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos.
The Kansas City Chiefs made their intentions clear heading into Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos. With Kenneth Walker now in the backfield, Kansas City planned to run the football. Everyone knew it. The Broncos apparently didn’t get the memo.
Walker, the Chiefs’ new star running back, exploded for 173 rushing yards on 23 carries and a rushing touchdown. That’s 7.5 yards per carry. He added three catches for 18 yards and a receiving touchdown on six targets. Even after Walker left the game, Kansas City kept pounding the rock. Rookie running back Emmitt Johnson chipped in eight carries for 24 yards, with several solid runs of his own.
After the game, Denver head coach Sean Payton was blunt about what happened to his team.
“They rushed the ball well. We didn’t,” Payton said. “That starts with me. It starts with the coaching staff. The time of possession, we put our defense in some short fields. We didn’t tackle well enough. And then the game became one-dimensional. Field position and the big run was the one that hurt. He bounces outside, we don’t set the edge, miss a tackle. That one hurt. Not a good evening. We didn’t do a lot well at all. In all of the key factors, they rushed the ball, we didn’t. That starts with me, the coaching staff. I thought they won in every phase.”
Kenneth Walker made Chiefs history
Walker’s performance wasn’t just dominant. It was historic. He became the only Chiefs player to record 150 rushing yards, a 50-yard rushing touchdown, and a receiving touchdown all in the same game. He also racked up 67 rushing yards from under center through the first half alone. That’s the most a Chiefs running back has posted in a full game since Damien Williams in 2019. Seven years.
The Chiefs came into this game wanting to take pressure off Patrick Mahomes, especially in his first game back from a significant knee injury. That’s exactly what they did. Walker gave Kansas City a dynamic rushing presence, something Mahomes has never truly had during his tenure with the Chiefs.
What this means for Denver
This is a tough look for a Broncos team that reached the AFC Championship last season and came close to a Super Bowl appearance. Denver knew what was coming and still couldn’t stop it. Payton confirmed as much, acknowledging that the game plan was obvious but the execution to counter it simply wasn’t there. The game became one-dimensional in Kansas City’s favor, and the Broncos had no answer.
Kansas City showed Monday night that this is a fundamentally different team compared to what we’ve seen the last few years. The wide receiver room may still lack a true No. 1 option, but the running back room is now a strength. Walker changes the offensive identity, and the offensive line held up well in front of him. If this is what the Chiefs’ ground game looks like going forward, the rest of the AFC has a problem.
