Kenneth Walker III’s Super Bowl MVP Is Latest Evidence of the Running Back Resurgence

The Seahawks star was the first RB to be named MVP of the Super Bowl in 28 years, with the NFL increasingly favoring the position.

Kenneth Walker III was named Super Bowl MVP after helping the Seahawks to a 29–13 win over the Patriots. | Simon Bruty/Sports Illustrated

SANTA CLARA, Calif — On a night of great runs, Kenneth Walker III’s most explosive dash came in the bowels of Levi’s Stadium. 

After doing television and podium interviews, Walker came into the Seahawks’ jubilant locker room after Seattle’s 29–13 victory in Super Bowl LX over the Patriots and took a few group photos with his position group before the media descended on him. For 16 seconds, Walker answered two quick questions as his eyes darted. Then, suddenly, he cut right and accelerated, exploding through a sea of crushed Bud Light cans and cigar ashes into a quiet retreat.

On a night where the Seahawks’ defense propelled them to the franchise’s second championship, Walker was the engine of an offense in need of some horsepower. He was the first running back to be named MVP of the Super Bowl since Hall of Famer Terrell Davis 28 years ago, gaining 161 total yards on 29 touches.

“That’s [Walker], day after day,” Seahawks rookie left guard Grey Zabel said. “He just goes to work, keeps his head down. He’s an unbelievable football player. And to top it off, he’s a better teammate and a better person. For him to have the success, there’s nobody more deserving. It’s so cool, so cool to see. It’s a privilege to be able to block for him.”

The evening was supposed to be about Seattle’s defense, and it was. It was also supposed to be about Sam Darnold, who shed the shackles of the notion that he can’t play great in big moments with 346 passing yards and three touchdowns against the Rams in the NFC title game. However, he largely struggled against New England’s blitz-happy scheme, going 19-of-38 for 202 yards, an improvement after going 9-of-22 for 88 yards in the first half. 

Without Walker, the game could have gone differently with Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak forced to rely more on Darnold despite the obstacles. Instead, Kubiak put his trust in his fourth-year back, who in what could be the soon-to-be free agent’s last game as a Seahawk, ran with anger and abandon to finish with 135 yards rushing and 26 receiving to punctuate a dominant team effort. 

Kenneth Walker III rushed for 137 yards to help secure the Super Bowl win for the Seahawks. | Jamie Schwaberow/Sports Illustrated

“Credit to the Patriots and the [defensive line] they have,” Zabel said. “It’s top tier and it was one of those deals where [Walker] was just making us right the entire night. The explosives that he had were cool to see. It was a clash up front and it was an iron sharpens iron-type night.”

With fellow back Zach Charbonnet out with a torn ACL since the divisional round and the Patriots blanketing Seattle’s receivers, Walker took center stage. In the first half, the man his teammates call K9, rushed for 90 yards on 14 carries, including a pair of explosive runs on Seattle’s fourth drive, going for 30 and 29 yards, respectively. The drive netted one of the Seahawks’ three field goals in the first 30 minutes, helping put New England in a small-yet-insurmountable hole. 

“He played great,” said center Jalen Sundell of Walker’s night. “He kept running it, kept trusting us. [He] stayed true to the plan and put his head down, ran through people. It was awesome.”

For years, the NFL has devalued the running back position. It’s been overlooked and unheralded, to the point that when Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley were free agents in 2024, they signed for a combined $53.7 million and $35 million guaranteed. That same offseason, receivers Gabe Davis and Darnell Mooney signed for $78 million and $50 million guaranteed. 

Last year, the Eagles power their way to the Super Bowl behind a suffocating defense and Barkley rushing for 2,005 yards. This season, Seattle followed the same formula with the duo of Walker and Charbonnet amassing 1,757 rushing yards in the regular season. And, just like it did for the Eagles, it led to Seattle winning 14 games and an eventual Lombardi Trophy. 

The season before, Christian McCaffrey led the 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance while leading the league in total yardage (2,023) and touchdowns (21) to earn Offensive Player of the Year honors. 

While having an elite quarterback will always be the sport’s biggest advantage, the days of running backs being afterthoughts appear to be over. As teams have spent the past decade loading up on cornerbacks and edge rushers to thwart high-octane passing attacks, it’s becoming increasingly more en vogue to run the rock. This season, only four teams threw the ball at least 600 times. We haven’t seen a lower figure since 2011, when only three teams did so.

For Seattle, which ran the ball more third most of any team with 507 carries, the Super Bowl was an embodiment of what had been all year long. 

“[We] continued to have the ball move forward, not have negative plays,” star left tackle Charles Cross said. “[Walker] did a great job making guys miss. Him just being special, being himself. Coach [Mike Macdonald] told us earlier this week we didn’t have to do anything special; we just had to be ourselves. Everyone just played our style of football in all three phases.”

This winter, Walker could reset the running back market, one that has stagnated for years compared to other positions. 

He is scheduled to hit free agency with a slew of excellent backs—including the Jets’ Breece Hall, Jaguars’ Travis Etienne Jr. and Cowboys’ Javontae Williams—but even in a robust market, he’ll stand out after a postseason performance featuring two 100-yard games and four touchdowns in only three rounds. 

On Sunday night, Walker ran with the winds of a title at his back. He then ran through the cigar smoke and screams of champions, reaching the destination he searched for all evening.

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