Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III has been ruled out for his team’s game Sunday as he deals with a groin injury. It’s a new injury designation for the talented back, but the team doesn’t expect it to be a long term one.
According to reports, Walker tweaked his groin at practice on Thursday. If it were a playoff game, the team believes he could have played through the injury, however the club’s medical staff advised giving him a week to avoid exacerbating the injury any further.
The Super Bowl MVP’s absence creates a huge void for Kansas City’s offence. His five 100-yard rushing games and 109.0 rushing yards per game both currently lead the NFL.
With Walker sidelined, the Chiefs will turn to rookie Emmett Johnson to take on a larger role on offence. The 5’11”, 200lbs back has accumulated 111 yards and 1 score on the ground, while adding another 237 yards and a TD through the air in his professional debut.
While it’s unlikely that KC will lean on him as much as his veteran counterpart, he’ll have every opportunity to showcase his skillset with a larger role on offence than at any point of the season thus far. A 5th round (161st overall) pick out of Nebraska, Johnson was a first team All-American, Big 10 running back of the year, and first team All-Big 10 selection in 2025 for the Cornhuskers.
The 23 year old appeared in 12 contests for Nebraska last season, turning 251 touches into 1,451 yards and 12 scores on the ground.
He’ll certainly have his hands full in his first pro-start this weekend against a Falcons defence that currently ranks 3rd in EPA per rush, and will also be getting Gervon Dexter Sr. and James Pearce Jr. back into the lineup as well. Kickoff is slated for 1pm ET on Sunday afternoon.
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