Sam Darnold couldn't possibly have kept going at the pace he was a few weeks ago for the entire season. After throwing fireballs in every direction and ascending to the top of the league in QBR, Darnold came back down to earth against the Los Angeles Rams two weeks ago.
It was inevitable - and not just because of Darnold's history of faltering against the Rams' defense. Teams were eventually bound to figure out that they couldn't keep playing base defense against the Seattle Seahawks and allow Darnold to carve up a light back end.
The Rams went the other direction, playing tons of dime looks and effectively daring the Seahawks to run. It worked, and you can bet more opponents will try the same strategy as the year goes on.
The good news is that the run game is finally trending in the right direction after being stuck in neutral most of the season. Here's what offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak had to say about it.
Over their first eight games, the Seahawks ranked second-to-last in yards per carry at 3.7.
Over the last three games, they're 12th at 4.4 YPC.
Here was OC Klint Kubiak on the progress Seattle's run game has been making, and what the newly-signed Cam Akers may be able to add. pic.twitter.com/U9Gk2DtBoy
— Brady Henderson (@BradyHenderson) November 27, 2025
In their defense, Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet had the deck stacked against them for most of the season - consistently seeing opponents load up in the box against the run.
Over the last three games these two have managed to produce no matter what the defense throws at them, though. Walker has totaled 205 yards on 31 carries (6.6 yards per attempt), while Charbonnet has put up 155 on 31 attempts (five yards per carry).
This is a promising development, but not everything is rosy at running back. George Holani was one of several players who were injured this past week and may soon land on IR. With Kenny Mcintosh already there, the Seahawks had to look for outside help to fill that RB3 hole. They've done so by signing former Rams running back Cam Akers.
Zach Charbonnet
Nov 9, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) rushes during the third quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
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