Super Bowl 60: Kenneth Walker goes ‘Beast Mode’ to win MVP in Seahawks’ romp

SANTA CLARA — There was no end-zone celebration for Kenneth Walker III, no signature spike or choreographed moment. Instead, there were yards — hard, unglamorous, necessary yards — the kind Marshawn Lynch once racked up for the Seattle Seahawks.

In a Super Bowl defined by defensive highlights, crucial stops and a kicker rewriting the record book, Walker’s steady, punishing runs were the lone offensive threat Seattle could count on, earning him Super Bowl MVP honors in the Seahawks’ 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.

Walker rushed for 135 yards on 27 carries in a game where points were scarce and offensive rhythm was fleeting until the fourth quarter, serving as the Seahawks’ stabilizer amid chaos. While the defenses traded blows and Seattle’s Jason Meyers carried the scoring load with a Super Bowl record-breaking five field-goal performance, Walker kept the offense on schedule, chewing clock and tiring a vaunted New England defense.

His physical, no-frills style evoked comparisons to Lynch, the Oakland native whose “Beast Mode” runs once powered the Seahawks in similar postseason battles. More importantly, Walker’s carries Sunday underscored why his impact transcended the box score on football’s biggest stage.

Walker became the eighth running back to win Super Bowl MVP and the fifth offensive player to win the honor without scoring a touchdown. He also is the first running back to claim the honor since Terrell Davis did so with the Denver Broncos in 1998.

“First and foremost, I want to thank God for this,” Walker told NBC’s Maria Taylor after being named the game’s MVP. “I want to thank my brothers. This doesn’t happen without them. We went through a lot of adversity this season, but we came together and we stuck together this weekend.”

He then shouted out the “12s”, or their 12th man, dedicated fans who made the trek down the West Coast to Levi’s, where they saw their team dominate New England with physicality.

Walker’s patient running style was on full display as he slowed in the backfield and waited for his offensive line to open holes he could slither through on his way to chunk gains. He used his underrated speed to turn the corner on the Patriots’ defense and break through to the second level, including rushes of 30 and 29 yards early in the second quarter to set up Myers’ second field goal.

Walker credited his offensive line for following through on the game’s gameplan.

“We were very detailed all week,” Walker said in a postgame press conference after the game. “We worked on our run game all week and we knew the line was going to make an impact on the game.”

It hasn’t always been Walker’s show in the backfield. The fourth-year running back out of Michigan State split time throughout the regular season with Zach Charbonnet, but took over a greater share of postseason snaps after Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in Seattle’s divisional-round win over the 49ers. He had 65 playoff carries, and no other Seahawk had more than six.

His 1-yard final rush came after what appeared to be a 49-yard touchdown dash that was called back because of a holding penalty.

But he and the Seahawks didn’t need that score to take home their trophies.

“If you told me as a kid that I would win an MVP trophy, I wouldn’t have guessed that,” Walker said. “It’s just a surreal moment and it doesn’t happen without the guys in the locker room.”