The Seahawks took a huge step toward winning the NFC West by beating the Cardinals Sunday, winning their fourth game in a row, continuing a month-long resurgence fueled by a dramatically improved defense.
There are storylines galore featuring emerging players and significant additions such as receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and linebacker Ernest Jones. And there are recent positive signs on the offensive line where Sataoa Laumea, a sixth-round rookie, has turned into a solid contributor and possibly a long-term fixture.
Something else happened in the 30-18 victory at Arizona, and it had to be considered an unlikely development when backup running back Zach Charbonnet rushed for 134 yards and two touchdowns while also making seven receptions for 59 more yards.
Charbonnet was pressed into action when starter Kenneth Walker was a late scratch because of calf and ankle injuries. Walker’s absence figured to be a big blow to a Seahawks’ running game that hasn’t sizzled anyway, entering the Arizona game with the 28th rushing offense in the league.
I would’ve bet on Charbonnet having a workmanlike performance at best, praised for giving the Seahawks a semblance of a running threat, not being the offensive star of the game.
For the better part of his year and a half with the Seahawks, he’s looked the part of a backup running back, reliable and steady, but nothing suggested he was on the verge of tearing it up the way he did on Sunday. He filled in well when Walker missed the Miami game earlier this season, rushing for 91 yards and two TDs. But overall, he had averaged 3.5 yards a carry before brutalizing the Cardinals.
If Walker had been healthy and played, you can presume he would have been as effective as Charbonnet and maybe even more electric with all of the dazzling components in his skill set. Certainly he would have benefited from the suddenly bigger holes created by the offensive line.
But are we so sure about that? If you asked 100 Seahawks’ fans who’s a better running back, 99 would say Walker and one would say Charbonnet. The lone Charbonnet voter would no doubt be a UCLA alum who loved watching him dash all over the place at the Rose Bowl with the Bruins.
No question, Walker is flashier and can make more tacklers miss than Charbonnet. Walker is a bigger threat to hit a home run every time he gets the ball.
But what about his dancing and his east-west tendencies when you just want him to go north-south and hit the hole even if the hole isn’t necessarily there? You can argue that occasionally Walker will turn a two-yard loss into a two-yard gain thanks to his elusiveness, but I’m guessing his coaches more frequently want to see him get the ball and go.
Walker was more highly regarded coming out of Michigan State, but it’s not like Charbonnet was viewed as being noticeably inferior. They were both second-round draft picks, and the Seahawks thought enough of Charbonnet to take him that high a year after they selected Walker, which was seen as a curious move.
Sure, it was just one game, but you could make a fairly compelling case that Charbonnet’s physical, straight-ahead style might be a better fit for the Seahawks’ offense. In the last 10 to 15 years, haven’t they been at their running game best when Marshawn Lynch and Chris Carson were pounding opponents?
We might get a bigger sample size soon. Head coach Mike Macdonald said Monday that further tests are being taken on Walker’s calf, putting in question his availability for Sunday night’s game against the Packers.
What if Charbonnet goes off in the Green Bay game and follows it up with another terrific game against the Vikings? If Walker returns for the Chicago game the next week, would he automatically get his starting job back? I would think not.
It’s all speculative at this point, but from what I saw on Sunday, the table’s set for a potential running back controversy with the Seahawks.
J im Moore has covered Washington’s sports scene from every angle for multiple news outlets. He appears Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m. on Jason Puckett’s podcast at PuckSports.com. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) @cougsgo.
This story was originally published December 10, 2024, 10:43 AM.