The Kansas City Chiefs have ruled out running back Kenneth Walker for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons. Walker was not listed on the injury report to begin the week, but he sat out of Friday's practice with a sore groin.
After initially being listed as questionable, Walker was downgraded to "out" on Saturday afternoon. The former Super Bowl MVP has been having an incredible season thus far, rushing for 872 yards in just eight games. Walker is only eight yards behind Bijan Robinson for the NFL rushing title.
Without their star running back, the Chiefs will look to rookie Emmett Johnson to start on Sunday. The fifth-round pick out of Nebraska has rushed for 111 yards on 26 attempts this season (4.3 yards per carry). Last week, Johnson rushed 34
yards and a touchdown on six carries.
Having lost four out of their last five games, the Falcons need all of the help they can get in Week 10. The Chiefs will likely be forced to pass the ball more without Walker, but since Atlanta just traded Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the secondary won't be quite as stable.
Check out the full Falcons-Chiefs injury report for Week 10 here. Sunday's game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Chiefs rule out star running back for Week 10 game vs. Falcons
