The fact that the Kansas City Chiefs rank fifth in total rushing yards entering their Week 10 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons has a lot to do with running back Kenneth Walker III. However, as Sunday’s game against Atlanta approaches, Walker’s status remains uncertain. The running back, who was acquired from the Seattle Seahawks earlier this year, has reportedly been dealing with a groin injury.

Now, just a day before kickoff, ESPN’s Adam Schefter has provided another update on Walker’s availability. According to Schefter, the Chiefs are expected to hold Walker out against the Falcons on Sunday after he injured his groin during Thursday’s practice. Per a source, the Chiefs “want to give him a week.”

The development surrounding Walker’s situation gained momentum after head coach Andy Reid first revealed the running back’s injury. While Walker practiced on Thursday, he reported tightness in his groin to the team on Friday, ahead of the Chiefs’ final practice session before the Falcons game. As a result, he missed Friday’s practice, with the Chiefs listing him as questionable for Sunday’s matchup.

“We’ll just see how he feels through this afternoon, with rehab and through tomorrow,” said Coach Reid, per ESPN. “Somewhere he tweaked it. We’re kind of feeling it out just to see where we’re at with that [groin]. We’re not going to put him at risk. If he can go, he can go. If he can’t, he can’t.”

That’s a major setback for Kansas City. Since joining the Chiefs ahead of the 2026 season, Kenneth Walker has been a cornerstone in Kansas City’s backfield. Across eight starts this season, the running back has rushed for 872 yards (second behind Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson) and scored 7 touchdowns. Meanwhile, he has also caught 26 receptions for 172 yards, while scoring 4 receiving touchdowns.

While his numbers dipped during the Chiefs’ back-to-back road losses to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7 and the Denver Broncos in Week 8, there was a clear tactical explanation behind the slowdown. Having spent his first four seasons in Seattle before signing a four-year, $43 million deal with Kansas City in the offseason, Walker returned to Lumen Field facing a defense intimately familiar with his tendencies.

That familiarity showed immediately. Walker found virtually no room to operate against a Seahawks unit that entered the matchup surrendering a league-low 237.3 yards per game, finishing with just 36 yards on 14 carries, an average of 2.6 yards per rush.

“We know what type of running back was coming in here, but we don’t allow people to run through our defense,” Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV said afterward.

Walker was limited to eight rushing yards in the second half with a game-long gain of seven, declining to speak with reporters postgame. Yet he was far from Kansas City’s biggest issue that afternoon.

The Chiefs arrived boasting a league-best 414 yards per game, only to be bottled up for 213 total yards. Patrick Mahomes endured a rough outing, completing 19 of 33 passes for a season-low 165 yards and an interception.

“All three phases struggled,” head coach Andy Reid said. “So we’ve got to do better, and that’s my responsibility. I take full responsibility for this.”

A week later in Denver, history repeated itself, with a twist. In their first meeting, Walker erupted for 173 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his Chiefs debut, momentarily stealing the spotlight from Mahomes. In the rematch, however, the Broncos overhauled their front-seven alignments to seal off interior running lanes, capping Walker’s longest run at 10 yards and holding him to 69 yards on 21 carries.

It wasn’t until last week’s clash against the New York Jets that Walker finally rediscovered his rhythm. Walker bounced back last week against the New York Jets. He finished the game with 102 rushing yards on 18 attempts and one touchdown. However, his status for the Week 10 matchup remains uncertain, as he is now expected to be rested.

In his absence, the Chiefs are expected to rely on rookie running back Emmett Johnson, who has 111 rushing yards and one touchdown on 26 attempts so far this season.

“He’ll be ready to go,” said Trey Smith of the fifth-rounder. “I like Emmett, man, his juice, his energy. He oozes enthusiasm, emotion and positive energy. You can tell the guy wants to be great, and you can tell he works at it. He really cares, man. I’m really excited for him. It’s not hard to root for guys like that.”

Kansas City selected Emmett Johnson in the fifth round (161st overall) of the 2026 NFL Draft, betting on the dynamic college production that made him a standout at Nebraska. During his final season with the Cornhuskers, Johnson racked up 1,451 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors and being named Big Ten Running Back of the Year. While filling Walker’s shoes is a tall order, Johnson has already flashed versatility in Andy Reid’s offense.

Alongside his rushing yards, the rookie has emerged as a dangerous receiving threat out of the backfield, hauling in 14 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown. That adaptability will be put to the ultimate test right away. Sitting at 6-2 as they open the second half of their 2026 campaign, the Chiefs are forced to pivot without their top offensive engine. How quickly Walker can recover from his groin injury beyond Week 10 remains to be seen, leaving Johnson poised to make his first career NFL start in Atlanta.