Kenneth Walker III came in on Friday morning with a tight groin and sat out practice. Andy Reid said the Chiefs would not risk him, and on Saturday they ruled him out of Sunday’s game at Atlanta.

He had played every game this season. He has 872 rushing yards, second in the NFL, and his 109.0 yards a game are the most in the league.

Walker has run for at least 100 yards five times, including 173 against Denver in Week 1 and 177 at Las Vegas in Week 4. Kansas City won all five.

In the three games he was held under 100, the Chiefs went 1-2. Both losses came there: 36 yards on 14 carries at Seattle, and 69 at Denver.

Kenneth Walker III rushing yards, game by game

Reid said rookie Emmett Johnson would take the bulk of the carries. Johnson has 26 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown this season, but he has done more as a receiver: 14 catches for 237 yards. In Week 8 at Denver he had five catches for 128 yards and a touchdown.

The other running back on the injury report, Jaydn Ott, is questionable with a hamstring injury, so the Chiefs elevated running back Nate Carter and receiver Jacob De Jesus from the practice squad.

Johnson’s Week 8 at Denver

Patrick Mahomes has completed 177 of 263 passes for 2,037 yards, 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. His best game was 382 yards and three touchdowns against Indianapolis in Week 2. His worst was the 20-3 loss at Seattle, when he threw for 165 yards.

Travis Kelce leads the team with 33 catches for 482 yards. Rashee Rice has 292 yards in five games, and Johnson is fourth on the team in receiving yards.

Mahomes passing yards, game by game

The Chiefs won their first five games, lost at Seattle and at Denver, then beat the Jets 35-12. They have outscored opponents by 59 points and allow 17.9 a game.

Denver is 7-2 and has won five straight, including 28-24 over Kansas City in Week 8. The Chiefs won the first meeting 31-10.

Chiefs margin, game by game

AFC West

The Falcons lost their first two games with Cooper Rush at quarterback. Michael Penix Jr. took over in Week 3 and won his first two starts by 21 points each. They are 1-4 since, with a 16-0 loss at Tampa Bay in Week 8, when Penix threw four interceptions, and a 34-17 loss to Cincinnati.

It is still a division with no team above three wins. Carolina and New Orleans are 3-5, and Atlanta and Tampa Bay are 3-6.

Falcons margin, game by game

Walker’s absence takes away a meeting of the league’s top two rushers. Bijan Robinson leads the NFL with 880 rushing yards on 169 carries, 5.2 a carry, with five touchdowns, and he has 31 catches for 250 yards.

He has three 100-yard games: 194 against Green Bay, 145 at New Orleans and 100 against Cincinnati. Atlanta won the first two.

Bijan Robinson rushing yards, game by game

The NFL’s top two rushers

Chris Jones did not fly with the Chiefs on Saturday for a personal reason. He rejoined the team in Atlanta that night and will play. The Falcons downgraded linebacker Divine Deablo to out and elevated safety Jammie Robinson and linebacker T.J. Quinn.

Rookie Kendal Daniels has at least seven tackles in each of his last five games, the longest such streak by a Falcons rookie since Keanu Neal in 2016. On Friday, the Falcons signed C.J. Henderson to a two-year extension and Cameron Thomas to a three-year extension.

1. Sept. 22, 2024The Chiefs win 22-17 in Atlanta, their last visit.
2. Week 8, 2026Emmett Johnson’s 128-yard receiving game at Denver.
3. Fri., Nov. 13Walker reports a tight groin and sits out practice.
4. Sat., Nov. 14Walker is ruled out. Jones travels separately, then rejoins the team.
5. Sun., Nov. 15Chiefs at Falcons, 1 p.m. ET (8 p.m. in Cairo), Mercedes-Benz Stadium.