Kenneth Walker Reacts to Revenge Game vs. Seahawks, Patrick Mahomes Talks Chiefs RB's Return

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he expects Sunday's Week 7 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks to be "special" for Kenneth Walker III shortly after the running back downplayed his own focus on reuniting with his former teammates.

Walker will return to Lumen Field for the first time since his Super Bowl LX MVP run with the Seahawks this Sunday.

"I know it's going to be a special moment for him," Mahomes told reporters Wednesday. "You go back to the place where you built your career, where you won a Super Bowl. I know how special that is being here. Those fans are the people that were around him for all of that. Those are a still a lot of the guys that were his teammates that he grew up with, as well, as in the NFL."

Mahomes concluded, "At the end of the day, you've got to win a football game. He knows that we have his back."

Walker previously declined to add similar gravity to the situation when asked after the Chiefs' Week 6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday whether it would feel "different" to play against the Seahawks.

"We've got to go critique the mistakes that we made," Walker said about the Week 6 win. "And then, once we get to that point, we'll see."

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wednesday he felt Walker would take a "level-headed" approach to the matchup even if he receives special attention from the Seahawks defense.

"The one thing that, when you're on a team, everyone knows your strengths and weaknesses... I'm sure the boys there will try to get after him a little bit," Reid said. "He's a pretty level-headed guy... he's kind of got one speed. He's coming at you, and it doesn't really matter who he's playing, where he's playing."

The Chiefs agreed to a three-year, $43 million deal this offseason with Walker, who The Athletic's Michael-Shawn Dugar reported Wednesday did not receive an offer from the Seahawks ahead of hitting free agency.

Walker has since rewarded the Chiefs for making him one of the NFL's highest-paid running backs by racking up a league-high 665 rushing yards with six touchdowns through five games.

The Seahawks, which have so far this season deployed one of the NFL's top run defenses, will be tasked with limiting Walker for the first time since drafting him in 2022 when the Week 7 matchup kicks off Sunday night at 8:20 p.m. ET.