NFL: Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs
NFL: Indianapolis Colts at Kansas City Chiefs
There’s a reason Patrick Mahomes has looked more comfortable with each passing week, and it starts well before the ball ever leaves his hand.
Through the first two weeks of the season, the Kansas City Chiefs have built their offensive identity around a simple but punishing formula: run the ball until the defense is forced to adjust, then make them pay for it.
It sounds simple on paper. Executing it against an NFL defense is a whole different ballgame.
Kenneth Walker Is Changing Everything for Patrick Mahomes
NFL: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
Sep 14, 2026; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) hands ff to running back Kenneth Walker III (9) against the Denver Broncos during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
Through two weeks, the Chiefs look like they’ve flipped the script. Sitting at 2-0, Kansas City leads the NFL in total yards and ranks No. 3 in scoring. That’s a pretty dramatic turnaround from what we saw last season, even before Patrick Mahomes went down with an ACL tear. The Chiefs eventually limped to a 6-11 finish, leaving plenty of questions about where this offense was headed.
Now, even Colin Cowherd is walking back his earlier judgment. On The Herd, Cowherd admitted, “When we look at Kansas City, I made a mistake. I forgot one of my own rules. A healthy Mahomes and Andy Reid, the rebuilds are like six games. Sometimes I should listen to me.”
And Nick Wright? Well, he’s taking the “I told you so” victory lap.
Wright pointed to Kenneth Walker III as the game-changer he had been calling all offseason. His argument is pretty simple: for the first time in Mahomes’ career, a defense was forced to spend serious time worrying about the Chiefs’ rushing attack instead of selling out to stop No. 15. That changes the entire chessboard.
With Walker III running the rock effectively, defenses can’t simply sit back in two-high looks, muddy the picture and dare Mahomes to beat them through the air. Suddenly, the Chiefs have a legitimate counterpunch on the ground—and Mahomes gets a much cleaner menu of options at the line of scrimmage.
So far, Walker has looked every bit worth the monster contract he landed at the start of free agency. He’s been a true workhorse and, perhaps more importantly, has given Kansas City something it desperately needed: a running game defenses actually have to respect. Even with Mahomes attempting 47 passes in Week 2—including a full overtime period—Walker still saw 10 targets through the air, second only to Travis Kelce. That’s a pretty good indicator of just how central he has become to the Chiefs’ offensive game plan.
There’s an old football saying: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And right now, Kansas City has little reason to mess with the formula. Keep feeding Walker. Keep the defense honest. And let Mahomes cook when the matchup opens up.
Will it keep working all season? That’s the million-dollar question.