The Seattle Seahawks are advancing to the Super Bowl to face the New England Patriots after a 31-27 win over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game.
Part of the reason for the victory was a strong performance from running back Kenneth Walker III. The result and Walker’s showing earned him praise from former Seahawks star Marshawn Lynch.
Marshawn Lynch Praises Kenneth Walker III After Seahawks Beat Rams To Reach Super Bowl 60
The Seahawks generated plenty of offense against the Rams, led primarily by quarterback Sam Darnold’s strong performance. Darnold completed 69.4% of his passes for 346 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions.
On the ground, Walker added 62 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, along with four receptions for 49 yards. Following the performance, Lynch posted the following on X:
“Show love to da runnin back!!!!”
Show love to da runnin back!!!!
— Marshawn Lynch (@MoneyLynch) January 26, 2026
Walker has been a bulldog since joining the Seahawks. This season, he ranked 20th in PFSN’s NFL Running Back Impact Metric rankings with an impact score of 65.8 and a letter grade of D.
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In 17 regular-season games, Walker carried the ball 221 times for 1,027 rushing yards and five touchdowns. As a receiving option, he caught 31 passes on 36 targets for 282 yards and no touchdowns.
Walker has been a staple of the Seattle offense since joining the team in 2022, when he was selected with the 41st overall pick in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Michigan State. In total, he has rushed 821 times across 59 regular-season games for 3,555 yards and 29 touchdowns, fumbling just twice in his career and never losing one. Additionally, he has caught 133 passes on 161 targets for 1,005 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
The praise from Lynch carries weight. Lynch spent seven seasons with the Seahawks and won a Super Bowl with the team in 2013. Over his career, Lynch rushed 2,453 times in 149 games for 10,413 yards and 85 touchdowns. As a receiver, he caught 287 passes on 394 targets for 2,214 yards and nine touchdowns.
Seattle’s offense is highlighted by a dangerous passing game featuring Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Rashid Shaheed, but Walker is expected to play a key role in the Super Bowl matchup against the Patriots. With Zach Charbonnet suffering a significant injury during the playoffs, Walker is likely to serve as the bell-cow back and handle the majority of the touches.
