If we’re handing out awards after six weeks of the season, the best free-agent signing of the off-season has to belong to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas City’s addition of running back Kenneth Walker III has exceeded even the wildest expectations and is a big reason why the Chiefs are one of three teams still undefeated.
Last season, as the Chiefs floundered and missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade, their leading rusher was Kareem Hunt, who had 611 yards in 17 games.
In just five games this season, Walker has already surpassed that mark with a league-leading 665 yards on the ground.
“He’s a game changer,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said of his new running back this week.
And if there is any other team that can truly appreciate what kind of a difference-maker Walker can be, it’s Kansas City’s Week 7 opponent.
Walker and the Chiefs will take their perfect 5-0 record into Seattle on Sunday, the very place where the 26-year-old RB began his career.
His last game with the Seahawks was, of course, Super Bowl LX, when he had 161 yards from scrimmage and was named Super Bowl MVP in a victory over the New England Patriots.
Walker is downplaying the homecoming, saying that he’s treating it “like any other week.”
Easy to do when you’re undefeated, but for the Seahawks, it has the potential to be a painful reunion.
The defending Super Bowl champs enter this matchup 3-3, with their offence struggling to find consistency.
Quarterback Sam Darnold has looked shaky in recent weeks, and part of that could very well be traced back to the loss of Walker.
Over six games this season, the Seahawks have managed 643 rushing yards as a team. That’s 22 yards less than Walker by himself in one more game, for those keeping track.
Part of the reason for Seattle’s struggles on the ground could be due to injuries to rookie Jadarian Price and Zach Charbonnet, who was Walker’s backup last season.
But there is no doubt their offence is missing the explosive playmaking of Walker, which the Chiefs are taking full advantage of.
Can the Seahawks remind everyone that they are still a major threat even without Walker, or will Kansas City go into Seattle and prove that the big, bad Chiefs are officially back after a one-year hiatus?
Tune in on Sunday night to find out.
Here are some other storylines we are keeping an eye on in Week 7:
Shorthanded Rams up against it in Vegas
Is it possible for there to be a must-win game in Week 7?
But for the Los Angeles Rams, it sure feels like they can’t afford a loss Sunday.
The pre-season Super Bowl favourites are 2-4 as they head to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders, and they will do so without a number of key players.
Myles Garrett and Davante Adams are both out, while Puka Nacua and Trent McDuffie are both expected to be game-time decisions.
That’s four of the Rams’ most important players, which puts extra pressure on reigning MVP Matthew Stafford.
“I feel even more of a responsibility to be as good as I can be to help us continue to win,” the Rams QB told reporters this week. “Some of those guys, they’re gonna have opportunities to hopefully come back and play for us, make sure that when they come back and play for us it’s meaningful.”
According to The Athletic’s playoff predictor, a win against the Raiders would jump the Rams’ playoff odds up to 46 per cent, but a loss would send their odds crashing to just 26 per cent.
So while it’s not an official must-win, if the Rams don’t find a victory on Sunday, it could be getting late early for the off-season “super team.”
Giants give McCarthy the reins
J.J. McCarthy’s tenure with the New York Giants got off to quite a start.
The 23-year-old quarterback came in for a benched Jameis Winston and almost led the Giants to a stunning fourth-quarter comeback against the New Orleans Saints.
In just 11:25 of action, McCarthy threw one touchdown and racked up 243 passing yards — the most in a fourth quarter by any quarterback this season.
His performance against the Saints led Giants head coach John Harbaugh to name McCarthy the starter for Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.
And this isn’t just some let’s-see-what-we-have-with-this-young-kid move, as the Giants enter Week 7 atop the NFC East at 3-2-1.
With the rest of the division struggling, the Giants have a real chance to make something of this season despite losing starter Jaxson Dart for the year.
But a lot of that will depend on what they can get out of McCarthy, and we will get a good look at that on Sunday.
Game to watch: Green Bay Packers (4-2) @ Detroit Lions (3-2) — Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
If you like points, the Packers-Lions game seems like a good bet.
The Lions enter Sunday’s divisional clash averaging a league-leading 32.8 points per game. They’ve needed all those points, as their defence is giving up 29.6 points per contest — the third most in the league.
Over in Green Bay, Jordan Love has the passing attack rolling after an up-and-down start to the season. The Packers should also get a boost on the ground with running back Josh Jacobs coming off the commissioner’s exempt list.
Divisional games are always key, but especially so in the NFC North where, at 3-2, the Lions find themselves in last place.
“Division games are big, man,” the Detroit head coach said this week. “You talk about wanting to win a division, you have got to win division games. That’s something we weren’t able to do last year and that’s why those are important. … They’re really a game and a half.”
With the Chicago Bears 5-2 and the Vikings 5-0, a loss to the Packers Sunday will put the Lions in a very precarious spot.
We’ll see if they have what it takes to win what should be a track meet.
Forrest’s favourites (Season record: 6-6)
Browns @ Titans — Pick: Browns -2.5: The Titans may have picked up their first win of the season last week, but it still wasn’t pretty on offence. Cleveland has been the more consistent team this season, so we are riding with the Browns.
Buccaneers @ Panthers — Pick: Panthers -3.0: Bryce Young has been sensational this season, and we expect him to outduel Baker Mayfield, who returns after a three-week absence.
Chiefs @ Seahawks — Pick: Chiefs +2.5: The inconsistency of the Seattle offence is enough to take the Chiefs with the points and not think twice.
Full Week 7 schedule (all times ET)
Thursday, Oct. 22
Chicago Bears 30, New England Patriots 24
Sunday, Oct. 25
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New Orleans Saints (Paris), 9:30 a.m. ET
San Francisco 49ers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. ET
Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m. ET
New York Giants at Houston Texans, 1 p.m. ET
Indianapolis Colts at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m. ET
Miami Dolphins at New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET
Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. ET
Denver Broncos at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. ET
Green Bay Packers at Detroit Lions, 4:25 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Rams at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:25 p.m. ET
Kansas City Chiefs at Seattle Seahawks, 8:20 p.m. ET
Monday, Oct. 26
Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m. ET
Bye week: Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders