Kenneth Walker III will need to carry the load for the Seahawks with Zach Charbonnet out

SEATTLE (AP) — After he rushed for his third touchdown in the Seattle Seahawks’ 41-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional playoffs, Kenneth Walker III chucked the ball into the crowd.

Walker, who tied Shaun Alexander's record for TD runs in a playoff game, was grateful for his opportunity to make franchise history.

“It means a lot,” Walker said after Saturday night's victory. “We worked at it all season. I just got to give the credit to the O-line. They had the holes there, and all I had to do was hit it.”

With the Seahawks one win away from the Super Bowl, they will need to rely on Walker as much as they have all season when they host the NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams on Sunday in the NFC championship game. Seattle's second-leading rusher, Zach Charbonnet, will miss the remainder of the playoffs with a knee injury that requires surgery.

“When he’s running the ball like he is,” offensive lineman Grey Zabel said of Walker, “it’s pretty incredible. It’s super fun to block for a guy like that, we just love doing our job up front.”

Walker rushed for 116 yards against the 49ers, his most this season. Over his last four games, Walker has 364 yards on 61 carries (a 5.96-yard average) with four touchdowns.

He had 1,027 yards rushing and five touchdowns in the regular season, while Charbonnet had 730 yards and 12 TDs.

Walker said improved vision contributed to his success, as well as trusting the linemen in front of him to do their jobs. Seattle's run game, which struggled earlier in the season, has been wearing down defenses in recent weeks.

“You can see it when they’re breathing, they’re tired,” Walker said. “They’re slow to get up. You can see it being demoralizing to them. We just got to keep doing that.”

If the Seahawks are going to succeed on the ground against the Rams, the load will fall on Walker. He's the only healthy running back on the roster, although Seattle has options on its practice squad.

While NFL receiving leader Jaxon Smith-Njigba had a quiet night against the 49ers, Cooper Kupp picked up the slack. The 2021 Offensive Player of the Year had five catches for 60 yards, his highest totals since a Dec. 14 win over Indianapolis.

Kupp’s regular season was his least productive since 2018, but he provides playoff experience the Seahawks need.

Tight end AJ Barner was not targeted against San Francisco, the first time since early November that he did not have a pass thrown his way.

Barner should be part of the game plan against Los Angeles, though. He had four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown in the Seahawks' win over the Rams on Dec. 18.

The Seahawks’ defense has held opponents to a combined 19 points over its last three games. The last offensive touchdown Seattle allowed was a rushing score by Carolina quarterback Bryce Young in Week 17.

While Rashid Shaheed has been a dynamic contributor on special teams — he returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown against the 49ers — he has done little in the pass game. Over the last four games, Shaheed has two catches for 10 yards on five targets.

In a radio interview on Monday, coach Mike Macdonald said left tackle Charles Cross’ departure from Saturday’s game with a foot injury was a precautionary move.

“Day to day with Charles,” Macdonald said. “We’re going to work through that, day-to-day is the best way to put it.”

Later Monday, Macdonald said Cross wouldn't necessarily need to practice in order to play Sunday.

Quarterback Sam Darnold played through an oblique injury and is expected to continue receiving treatment throughout the week. Macdonald said Darnold would get the practice reps he needs.

8 — Consecutive wins by the Seahawks. Seattle’s longest win streak is 11 games, set during the 2005 season, which included its first-ever playoff victory and a trip to the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks hope to beat the Rams for the second time this season and advance to the fourth Super Bowl in franchise history and first in 11 years.

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Seattle Seahawks Kenneth Walker III (9) runs in for a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during an NFL football divisional playoff game Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Seattle. (Scott Strazzante/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) scores a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football divisional playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football divisional playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins hired former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley as their coach on Monday, ending a swift search and tasking him with turning around a franchise that hasn't won a playoff game in 25 years.

Hafley replaces Mike McDaniel, who was fired earlier this month after going 35-33 in four seasons. The Dolphins also fired longtime general manager Chris Grier during the season.

“I believe great things are ahead for the Miami Dolphins with Jeff Hafley leading the way,” owner Stephen Ross said in a statement Monday night. “Jeff is an accomplished coach with a proven track record as a leader and motivator. He has tenacity and grit, while at the same time establishing trust with his players in order to get the most out of them.”

Hafley, who spent two seasons in Green Bay, met with the Dolphins for a second interview earlier Monday before he was offered the job. He will rejoin new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan in Miami.

The 46-year-old Hafley left his job as head coach at Boston College in 2024 to become defensive coordinator in Green Bay, where he worked with Sullivan for the past two seasons. Hafley also coached San Francisco’s defensive backs from 2016-18 after spending two years as Cleveland’s secondary coach.

Sullivan, formerly Green Bay’s vice president of player personnel, spent 22 seasons with the Packers before becoming the Dolphins’ GM.

“Jeff is a man of integrity, intellect and great passion who players will buy into and play for,” Sullivan said. “He has a vision for the kind of team we will be and the ability to motivate them to move in one direction on the path towards that goal. I’m thrilled to go on this journey with him and together we will build a winner that this organization deserves.”

Under Hafley, Green Bay’s defense ranked in the top 10 of the NFL in yards per play (5.0), yards per pass play (6.01), goal-to-go percentage (68.9) and quarterback hits (98). He's taking over a Dolphins team that

Packers players, who spoke highly of Hafley, had been preparing for the possibility he would become a head coach. He also interviewed for Tennessee’s coaching vacancy.

“That (expletive) would suck,” safety Javon Bullard said this season. “But, you know, that’s the beauty of this profession. That’s the sad part about this profession but it’s also a beautiful thing too. You want everybody to succeed and level up, because that’s the same thing with somebody here going to get a new contract somewhere else.”

The hiring of Hafley continues Dolphins owner Stephen Ross’ trend of gambling on candidates without prior NFL head coaching experience. Ross has not hired a proven NFL coach since becoming the Dolphins’ majority owner in 2009. He previously took chances on Joe Philbin (2012-2015), Adam Gase (2016-18), Brian Flores (2019-21) and McDaniel (2022-25).

“I am excited to see where Jeff leads us,” Ross said, “alongside Jon-Eric Sullivan and our entire football operation, as we seek to return the Dolphins to sustained success.”

McDaniel was let go after going 7-10 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. That set up an organizational reset that will likely include finding a new quarterback and moving on from former first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa.

Tagovailoa was benched for the final three games of the 2025 season after throwing for 2,660 yards with 20 touchdowns but showing stark declines in accuracy and mobility. He signed a four-year, $212.4 million extension in July 2024 but finished 2025 with 15 interceptions, second most in the NFL and a career high.

Tagovailoa is guaranteed $54 million for 2026, and the Dolphins would incur significant hits to the salary cap by releasing him.

The Dolphins also interviewed former Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski, who was hired as Atlanta’s coach this week; Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak; San Francisco defensive coordinator Robert Saleh; Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula; and Jacksonville defensive coordinator Anthony Campanile, among others, during their search.

AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Tampa contributed to this report.

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FILE - Green Bay Packers coach Jeff Hafley holds a ball before an NFL wild-card football game against the Chicago Bears, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps, File)