"Every game is like a final for us now," Walker told AFL.com.au after Carlton's six-goal win over St Kilda on Saturday night.
"It should be that way through the season, but going forward, we have to treat every game like a final because we are playing for survival and we're one of those four teams still pushing to get into the eight."
The win broke a four-game losing streak and leaves the club only a game outside the top eight.
But it wasn't necessarily easy for the Blues, who were made to work for the victory by the Saints.
And even though the Saints were always kept at arm's length, the Carlton rebounding defender had recent results at the front of his mind, a reminder to not let another close game slip.
"With the way our season's gone lately … We were in front of Hawthorn by 20 points, in front of Essendon by 30 points, and Collingwood by 30 points, so anything can happen," he said.
"We've just got to turn that around and not have those little lapses we're having during a game.
"If we had have lost tonight it would have been five in a row. It was super important to one, keep our season on the line and season going, and two, just for the boys' confidence that going forward we can actually win those close games."
The streak of losses left many questioning the club's list, its immediate and long-term future, and where it stood against the best teams in the competition. So far, as coach Mick Malthouse acknowledged on Saturday, the Blues have lost to all the best sides in the competition.
But Walker said his belief in the Blues' direction hadn't been shaken.
"You've got to stay confident with what you've got in place. At some stage we'll get it together. At the end of the day, besides the Collingwood game, we've been competitive in every game," he said.
Walker is in his 10th season at Carlton, has 157 games under his belt and is one of the club's most experienced figures. The 27-year-old knows he has a role in continuing the Blues' push into the finals race, but wants it to be a shared effort.
"It just can't be the leaders of the club, it's got to come from the guys who are trying to get a game in the seniors, and from the guys who are actually in the senior side," Walker said.
"It's got to be a bigger spread than just the leaders and the older guys at the club. We're expecting that now we have leadership across the ground."
Callum Twomey is a reporter for the AFL website. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_CalTwomey
