‘We Took a Stride’: Seahawks Banking on Run Game to Continue Improving Post-Bye Week
RENTON, Wash. - Racing out to a 5-2 start in year two of the Mike Macdonald era, the Seattle Seahawks have exceeded expectations with a new-look offense featuring a new quarterback in Sam Darnold and a new play caller in Klint Kubiak among other notable changes.
In the aftermath of an offseason where Seattle traded former starting quarterback Geno Smith to Las Vegas and star receiver DK Metcalf to Pittsburgh with Darnold and veteran Cooper Kupp coming on board as replacements in free agency, the team currently ranks fifth in the NFL in points per game (27.6) behind one of the league’s most explosive passing games. Darnold has proven his breakout 2024 in Minnesota wasn’t a fluke, immediately forming a lethal QB/WR combo with budding superstar Jaxon Smith-Njigba that has helped push the team into first place in the NFC West with 10 games left on the schedule.
But coming out of their bye week, while they haven’t had trouble scoring points so far this season, the Seahawks have yet to find consistency with their run game in Kubiak’s zone-centric scheme. Through eight weeks, a rushing attack led by former second-round picks Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet has been anything but efficient, with the team ranking 21st in rushing yards per game (106.1), 31st in yards per attempt (3.7), and 27th in Expected Points Added (EPA) per rush (-0.11).
With a prime time road date looming against Washington on Sunday, Macdonald saw tangible progress in Seattle’s Week 7 win over Houston before heading into the bye, as they amassed 117 rushing yards on 30 carries against a top-five Texans run defense. Still, he knows continued growth over the next couple of months will be necessary for the team to reach their goals of winning the division and making noise in the postseason.
“It's everything and I think we're on the right track,” Macdonald told reporters following Monday’s practice. “We have a better understanding of what we do well and what we don't do as well, how we build things, who's out there, that sort of thing. But we don't need any wholesale changes. We need to keep attacking it. There's detail involved, there's operation involved, game plan, scheme, all the above is room for improvement. I think we saw last game, we took a stride. We just got to keep moving in that direction.”
Diving into what has ailed the Seahawks’ ground game, no team in the league has been hindered more by negative plays that have set the offense behind the sticks. Walker and Charbonnet have met immediate resistance far too frequently in the team’s first seven games, as they have been stuffed for negative yardage on a combined 26 carries this year already. As a team, Seattle’s 28 negative rushes ranks first in the NFL, three ahead of the next team (Philadelphia) on the list, and 23 of those plays have come on first and second down, contributing to one of the worst third down to-go averages (7.5 yards) and conversion rates (33.3%) in the league this year.
This dilemma has been a multi-faceted problem for the Seahawks up to this point. While the offensive line has demonstrated substantial improvements in pass protection limiting opponents to nine sacks on Darnold in seven games, blocking has been far more erratic in the run game with the young unit struggling with consistent targeting on zone concepts and allowing too much quick penetration off the snap. As a result, the team ranks 24th in yards before contact per carry (1.18).
The running backs aren’t completely exempt of blame for Seattle either, particularly with Walker’s habit of becoming too bounce happy looking for explosive plays on the perimeter that have resulted in numerous negative plays. For his part, Kubiak has put his backs into difficult spots too, including an odd emphasis on outside runs for Charbonnet, who has ran off edge on a shocking 36% of his carries this season despite being better known for his physical, between the tackles style. Per Pro Football Focus charting, he has had 12 perimeter runs to the left that have netted negative five rushing yards, and he’s barely averaging two yards per carry on 26 such runs to either side.
But if there’s reason for Macdonald’s optimism, even with the abundance of negative plays that have diminished their overall rushing numbers, there are plenty of signs that the Seahawks could be on the cusp of breaking out.
For one, Seattle hasn’t been bereft of chunk plays on the ground, as the team ranks eighth in the NFL in 20-plus yard runs (six). Walker has been the architect of the bulk of that production with five such rushes, tied for the second most in the league behind only Colts star Jonathan Taylor. With explosive runs defined as 16 yards or more, the Seahawks have been in the upper half of the league as well, coming in at No. 13 with 14 of them, so when blocking has held up, Walker and Charbonnet have shown the goods to rack up yards in a hurry.
Additionally, in a major contrast from last season, the Seahawks have been one of the better teams in the NFL at executing in the red zone running the football. Led by Charbonnet’s five touchdowns inside the opposing 20, their eight total rushing scores ranks eighth in the NFL and they sit fourth in rushing touchdowns per game in the red zone (1.14). The team also has converted 12 run plays into first downs, tied for eighth-best thus far with a solid 2.4 Expected Points Added on run plays, while ranking in the top 10 in both categories inside the 10.
Generating splash plays and finishing at the goal line, Seattle has been effective enough running the football to keep defenses honest, which in turn has helped Darnold eviscerate opponents off play action. The veteran quarterback has thrown for 711 yards, a league-best 13.7 yards per attempt, and four touchdowns off play passes, regularly beating defenses downfield on deep balls to Smith-Njigba while posting an outstanding 118.3 passer rating.
Stating the obvious, if the Seahawks can’t cut down on the negative plays that have stymied their run game to this point, opponents may start spitting on play fakes more often, consequently making life tougher on Darnold and his receivers. For that reason alone, Macdonald understands his team hasn’t been good enough building a complementary ground attack and continued progress week-to-week will be imperative if they are overtake the Rams and 49ers in the NFC West.
But now that the coaching staff and players have had a week to self scout, such progress should be attainable for Seattle, in large part due to the newness of the offensive staff as well as personnel. Kubiak and line coach John Benton have only been in town since April and still are figuring out how to best maximize the talent at their disposal, while the offensive line broke in two first-time starters in rookie Grey Zabel and center Jalen Sundell. There undoubtedly were going to be growing pains adjusting to a new offensive system with a youthful, largely inexperienced offensive line.
The door also remains open for the Seahawks to make a trade or two to improve the aforementioned personnel before the November 4 deadline, whether that means shaking up the running back room pursuing a dual-threat weapon such as Dolphins playmaker De’Von Achane or upgrading at right guard over current starter Anthony Bradford.
Regardless of whether or not the team makes a move, taking a big jump with the run game in the second half of the schedule should be an expectation for Seattle, not a blind hope, especially considering the steps forward already taken in recent games. And in reality, when it comes to the difference between being a fringe playoff team and a true contender in the NFC, nothing may carry more weight in coming months for Macdonald’s squad.
