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Giants Need to Slow Down Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III

Kenneth Walker III will be a good test for the Giants' struggling run defense.
Stephen Lebitsch|
Giants Need to Slow Down Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III
Giants Need to Slow Down Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III

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New York Giants

Through three weeks of the season, the New York Giants defense has been criticized for its inability to create a pass rush against opposing quarterbacks.

Yet, the unit’s performance against the run hasn’t entirely been up to snuff either, and the job only gets tougher against a feisty Seattle Seahawks rushing game led by Kenneth Walker III.

According to Pro Football Reference, the Giants rank 29th in the league in rushing attempts, yards, and touchdowns allowed, with the current totals for the latter two categories being twice the size of their backfield’s production. Their only bright spot has been the amount of yardage surrendered on the average rush, where the team stands in the middle of the pack at 16th overall.

In the Giants’ comeback outing against the Arizona Cardinals, the defense fell behind early partly due to the rushing prowess of running back James Conner, who gashed through the holes in the interior to the tune of 23 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown with an average rush of 4.6 yards.

New York Giants Week 4: Examining the Seattle Seahawks Offense

Last Thursday against the 49ers, the numbers didn’t improve that significantly, as lead back Christian McCaffrey dominated the middle with 18 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown to lead San Francisco’s 141-yard outing.

This has led to the Giants being ranked 20th in the NFL in run-stop win rate and the run defense getting another challenge in Walker, who is seeking his third consecutive game with at least one rushing touchdown.

The second-year player selected second in last year's draft, Walker’s career has already put him in the company of the best ball carriers in the franchise’s history. In his rookie campaign, the Michigan State product ran for 1,050 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games, making him the second Seattle back to eclipse 1,000 yards and the first to meet that mark in a single season since Chris Carson in 2019.

Walker also tallied five 100-yard performances to finish first among the 2022 running back class and push the team close to an average of 5.0 yards per carry by the end of the season.

Through his first three starts of 2023, Walker has maintained his grip on the Seahawks’ rushing snaps with 47 total carries for 204 yards and an average rep of 3.3 yards. 

However, his greatest impact has been felt in the endzone, where the 22-year-old has punched two touchdowns on the ground in the last two weeks. His feats have him sitting in 12th place in the league’s leaderboards through that span, exactly where he finished in his debut season last year.

Part of Walker’s success in the early portion of the season has been assisted by Seattle’s excellent protection up front. The Seahawks offensive line ranks 11th in run block win rate (72%) according to ESPN Analytics and boasts one lineman in the top 10 for the same category in guard Damien Lewis.

The rest come from his shiftiness in the scrums and open field, where Walker has forced 14 missed tackles, averaged 3.09 yards after contact, and made six explosive runs of 10 yards or more.

If the Giants' defense wants to have any success and put the momentum in their offense's hands, they will need to establish some sort of presence in the Seahawks backfield and put pressure on them to move the ball and find the endzone through the air.

While Seattle has a bunch of playmakers in their receiving arsenal, they’ll likely want to attack with Walker early, knowing New York ranks 20th in run-stop win rate.

Getting off the field and being crisper inside the 20-yard line will also be critical to slowing down both sides of the offense, particularly because that’s where the Seahawks should turn to Walker for the big points. The Giants have not been a stout front in those areas lately, giving up third down conversions nearly half the time and allowing an opponent red zone scoring percentage of 58.3%, which is good for 17th in the NFL.

All these things could bode well for Seattle, who look down upon the Giants from their 11th-best standing in the same red zone efficiency rating.

The key to this matchup could be doing all the little things a little better than the Seahawks on Monday night. That goal must start with stunting the visitor’s run game behind Walker from the jump, or else it could be another long night for the Giants.

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Stephen Lebitsch
STEPHEN LEBITSCH

“Stephen Lebitsch is a graduate of Fordham University, Class of 2021, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications (with a minor in Sports Journalism) and spent three years as a staff writer for The Fordham Ram. With his education and immense passion for the space, he is looking to transfer his knowledge and talents into a career in the sports media industry. Along with his work for the FanNation network and Giants Country, Stephen’s stops include Minute Media and Talking Points Sports.

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