Heading into Sunday night in Seattle, the story of the game will be Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker, who is off to a great start this season after leaving the Seahawks in free agency. After the game, the story was the Seahawks defense shutting down Walker.
Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori admitted after the game that he and his teammates were motivated to hold Walker back, knowing how many people criticized the Seahawks for letting the reigning Super Bowl MVP leave Kansas City in free agency.
“I’m not going to lie, I did,” Emmanwori said. “I’m not gonna sit here and lie. I really did want to hold him under 100. I don’t really listen to all the media noise but that was my motivation. I know a lot of dudes on defense, that was their motivation, too, to stop him under 100 and play lights out on defense and I think we did that.”
The Seahawks never held Walker under 100 yards. They held him to 36 yards on 14 carries, by far his worst game this season and nearly 100 yards below his average heading into Sunday night of 133 yards per game.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks’ rushing game had a big night, with running back Emanuel Wilson gaining 100 yards and a touchdown and the Seahawks as a team gaining 153 rushing yards — more than triple the Chiefs’ total.
The Seahawks won, 20-3, and the defense was frustrated because they wanted to be 20-0.
“We put up a clinic,” Emmanwori said. “I know the defense, a lot of dudes were upset that we didn’t give them zero. That was our goal, give them zero. We definitely could’ve accomplished that. But that just says what type of defense we are. There’s a lot of talk out there about what type of defense we are, if we have still got it or what. But we don’t really pay attention to that, and we know what we were not not. offense or who we are facing.”
Who they face is the player who led them to a Super Bowl victory eight months ago. But now he’s in a different uniform, and the Seahawks want to show they’re the same Super Bowl team without him.