This is officially the last weekend without NFL football until February! We are officially on the countdown to the Seattle Seahawks kicking off the 2024 NFL season with a home showdown against the Denver Broncos. Not only will be the first regular season game in the Mike Macdonald era, but it will also serve as the debut for offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb at the professional level.
There is a lot of (understandable) hype surrounding Grubb and his explosive system. For the last two years at the University of Washington, his Husky offense was the best in the country. Now, his innovative schemes are coming to the NFL. While many are most excited to see what Grubb can do with the passing attack and his embarrassment of riches at the wide receiver position, let us not forget the weapon he has on the ground wearing the No. 9 jersey.
Running back Kenneth Walker II is a dyamic athlete who is a threat to take the ball to the house any time he touches it. Despite being one of the better backs in the new Madden game, it could be argued Walker is perhaps a tad overlooked at the national level. One way to raise his national profile would be a dominant performance in Week 1… and it seems he may have a unique opportunity to do so.
The Broncos had an abysmal defense last year, and how they defend the run might be a disastrous matchup for them against the likes of Kenneth Walker.
Kenneth Walker III could pick up extra yards against the Broncos defense 💪
Last year, Walker ranked 5th among RB in forced missed tackles per carry, while Denver ranked 2nd worst among defenses in missed tackle rate 👀 pic.twitter.com/pxm0enlKyZ
— PFF SEA Seahawks (@PFF_Seahawks) August 30, 2024
Seattle could field one of the better offenses in the NFL this year under Grubb, but it is not going to matter if they cannot run the ball consistently. Last year, Shane Waldron failed to establish any semblance of an identity in any phase of the game as offensive coordinator, which led to remarkable regression for a unit that was the life of the team in 2022.
If the Seahawks want to get off to a 1-0 start against Denver like they did in the aforementioned 2022 season, they are going to have to get Walker going early and often.
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