Kenneth Walker III has powered the Kansas City Chiefs to a 5-0 start and produced the kind of rushing pace that normally would force its way into the NFL MVP conversation. The problem is that the award has become overwhelmingly quarterback-driven, leaving even a historic season by a running back facing a steep path to the league’s top individual honor.
Walker, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, has played only five games because of Kansas City’s early bye. He still leads the NFL with 665 rushing yards, 6.3 yards per carry and 133 rushing yards per game. That weekly average is ahead of the 131.6 yards Eric Dickerson averaged while setting the single-season rushing record in 1984.
The Chiefs back added two touchdowns in the Week 6 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers, giving him four games with multiple touchdowns this season. Since the 1970 merger, only Walker and Calvin Johnson Jr. in 2011 have scored at least two touchdowns in four of their first five games.
Walker’s production has carried Kansas City
Walker has delivered explosive plays throughout the opening stretch, including touchdown runs of 60, 33 and 22 yards. His impact has been especially notable on an offense led by Patrick Mahomes, who has not thrown a touchdown pass longer than 13 yards this year.
Advanced numbers place Walker well ahead of the rest of the league’s running backs. He has recorded 277 rushing yards over expected, more than 100 ahead of Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson, who is second at 170. Walker’s 13.2 rushing EPA nearly doubles Christian McCaffrey’s 6.8, while his 0.12 EPA per rush also leads the NFL. McCaffrey ranks next at 0.09.
Walker has also forced 47 missed tackles, the highest total in the league, and his 275 yards after forced missed tackles are likewise first among NFL runners.
Those numbers put him among the league’s most valuable players through six weeks, but the MVP race has rarely rewarded non-quarterbacks in the modern era.
Quarterbacks have dominated the MVP vote
A quarterback has claimed each of the past 13 MVP awards, the longest such positional streak since the 1970 merger. Quarterbacks have won 18 of the last 19 trophies, with Adrian Peterson’s 2,097-yard season for the Minnesota Vikings in 2012 serving as the lone interruption.
Before the current quarterback run, no position had won MVP in more than five straight seasons. The award’s recent history has effectively made it the NFL’s premier quarterback honor, while players at other positions are more commonly judged through Offensive Player of the Year or Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Even exceptional rushing seasons have not consistently changed that pattern. Saquon Barkley rushed for 2,005 yards in 2024 but received no first-place MVP votes after sitting out Philadelphia’s 17th game rather than pursuing Dickerson’s 2,105-yard record. Barkley finished third behind Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson despite helping his club win the division.
Derrick Henry had an even harsher result in 2020. His 2,027 rushing yards for the AFC South-winning Tennessee Titans produced no MVP votes under the previous single-ballot format.
Dickerson himself finished second in MVP voting during his record-setting 1984 campaign, losing out to Dan Marino after Marino threw for 5,000 yards.
A record chase may not be enough
Walker’s current pace gives him a realistic chance to challenge Dickerson’s rushing mark, but breaking the record may be only the first requirement for a non-quarterback MVP bid. The quarterback field would also need to lose momentum, with Brock Purdy’s early surge slowing, Josh Allen avoiding a late slump and no other passer building a decisive case.
Voters would then have to choose a running back over the established quarterback preference. That remains a difficult proposition even with Walker’s early dominance.
Sportsbook pricing reflects that skepticism. Walker is listed at +7500, behind 13 quarterbacks and Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs at +4000.
The next group of MVP candidates includes Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Gibbs and Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
Walker’s most realistic individual target may be another Super Bowl MVP award. For now, however, he has given Kansas City a running game capable of reshaping its offense and has placed himself in the small group of players whose season could become historic.
