The Seahawks’ star running back isn’t taking anything for granted, and he’s doing what he can to stay 100% for the team.
The Seattle Seahawks needed a spark early in the third quarter in their monumental matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
They found it in their starting running back Kenneth Walker, who broke off his longest run in over a year to put the team up by one. The 55-yard score was Walker’s first touchdown since the two teams met in November, which prompted a wave of relief as he crossed the goal line.
“It was like a relief. It always feels good to score, but scoring a long touchdown, it feels a little bit different,” Walker said in an interview with Field Gulls. “I realized I had it when I did go through the backside, and I saw the corner and the safety, and I just took off.”
Far from the craziest play of the contest, Walker’s long run made the Seahawks’ miraculous comeback possible. Walker said while the team has a one week at a time philosophy, it took him until Sunday to digest the win, which bolted the Seahawks to the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
“After that weekend, we had a few days off and I was still on that game. Like it was crazy that, we pulled it off with everything we had went through that game,” Walker said.
With the Seahawks in prime position for a deep playoff push for the first time in Walker’s career, he said he’s ready for it, but looking to stay focused on the team’s next opponent: the Carolina Panthers. When Walker steps foot on the field in Carolina, it will be the most games he’s ever played in an NFL season through four years with the Seahawks.
Walker said he’s very focused on keeping his body healthy after sustaining a series of injuries that held him out of six games in 2024. That starts with rest, Walker said, keeping the strain off his body and eating right have been his top priorities.
“I feel as good as you can feel at this point of the season. I’ve been taking care of my body well, I feel great,” Walker said.
“The injuries that I went through last year just helps me not take anything for granted… I’m doing everything I can to continue to stay 100% and be able to play with my brothers.”
If the Seahawks manage to win both of their last two games, they’ll remain atop the NFC, becoming the first Seattle team to do so in over a decade. Walker said the team felt they could contend for a Super Bowl early this season, but that was the case in 2024 as well. He said not making the playoffs last year has brought a different mindset to the locker room.
“This year we really like just locked in more, we know how to feels like not being able to make the playoffs last year,” Walker said. “It’s a tight knit group, everybody talk to everybody, it’s like a real brotherhood, and it’s going to continue to stay like that.”
Walker is far from the first Seahawk to applaud the atmosphere in the locker room this season with quarterback Sam Darnold saying as much after the team’s first loss to the Rams. However, Walker said he’s been able to form bonds with teammates at nearly every position.
At his own position, Walker said he and Zach Charbonent talk everyday from football to life. Yet, it was a fellow rookie from Walker’s draft class he said he was connected with the most, safety Coby Bryant.
“We pretty much almost like the same person, we think the same, we do the same things,” Walker said of Bryant. “Me and Coby [are] real close, we’ve been here for four years together, so that’s definitely one of my best friends on the team.”
At the Rams game, Seahawks mascot Blitz debuted a new pair of teeth from Oral-B, with whom this interview with Walker was made possible. As a part of the sponsorship, Walker said he saw Blitz at a photoshoot and while he was a bit shocked with the mascot’s new look, he’s coming around on it.
“It was crazy,” Walker said. “He got perfect, clean teeth all around, it’s like a grill… it’s definitely cool to see.”
Walker prioritizes clean and healthy teeth as part of his morning routine.
“First thing I do is brush my teeth,” Walker said. “I use the Oral-B iO series toothbrush. It’s been real helpful for me to keep a perfect clean. It’s got the two-minute timer and my older toothbrush didn’t have that. It’s real helpful, and I like that.”
Having brushed aside the Rams last week, next up for Walker and the Seahawks are the NFC South-leading Panthers and a chance to bolster their No. 1 seed hopes. That game kicks off on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 10 a.m. in Carolina.
The full interview can be viewed in the video below!
Category: General Sports
