Can Kenneth Walker III carry Seahawks after Charbonnet injury?

Renton, Wash. – If Not Zach CharbonnetThe Seattle Seahawks I can play in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium instead of hosting it at Lumen Field as the conference’s top seed. Or maybe they’re not playing at all for a trip to Super Bowl LX.

Remember how important the third-year running back played when the Seahawks defeated their division rivals in Seattle in Week 16.

Charbonnet opened the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run and then made the all-time heads-up play on a 2-point attempt in the fourth quarter. As soon as other players started leaving the field thinking Sam DarnoldAfter the screen pass was downed incomplete, Charbonnet intelligently caught what was a live ball in the end zone. The successful attempt tied the score at 30–30, leading to an improbable comeback by the Seahawks from a 16-point deficit, before they went on to win in overtime.

The win kept them on top of the NFC West standings and in control of the conference’s top seed.

The play that kept him alive in regulation showed one of the many qualities that have made Charbonnet a favorite of coach Mike McDonald. But the Seahawks will be without those qualities for the remainder of their postseason, now that Charbonnet is part of their two-headed rushing attack. Kenneth Walker III –needs season ending surgery To repair his knee injury during Seattle win 41-6 Above san francisco 49ers In the divisional round on Saturday.

You could hear the pain in MacDonald’s voice when he delivered the news Monday.

“It breaks your heart,” McDonald told Seattle Sports 710-AM. “…Prayers go out to Charbs. We love him, man. This guy is the epitome of being a Seahawk. Tough as nails, great teammate, great human being, works his tail off, detail-oriented, unselfish. It hurts, man. It hurts that it’s going on, but he’s going to come back. He’s going to come back stronger than ever, and people are going to pick him up.”

The loss of Charbonnet is significant given his importance in third down and short-yardage situations, but it shouldn’t be unbearable if Walker continues his recent performance.

Walker rushed 19 times for 116 yards and three touchdowns against San Francisco, bolstering Seattle’s red-hot run game after the loss of Charbonnet in the second quarter. Walker finished with 100 yards receiving in the Week 16 win over the Rams and finished with 97 receiving yards when they defeated the 49ers in the regular season finale, which put him over 1,000 for the season.

“I think Ken has done a great job,” MacDonald said. “I think you’re seeing the results over the last couple of weeks…all those reps combined. I thought it was his most decisive performance yet, and as expected, you just keep getting better and finding ways to improve, especially in the run game. He’s done a great job.”

Walker has played all 18 games this season after entering the final year of his rookie contract with durability concerns. It probably helped that he never picked up the ball more than 19 times in any match while sharing duties with Charbonnet. The rest of the Seahawks’ playoff run will be a test of either Walker’s ability to handle more of the workload or the ability of their backup running backs to step into bigger roles, whether that’s Cam Acres, Velus Jones Jr.., George Holani Or a combination of all three.

However that happens, the Seahawks will need their run game to take the pressure off Darnold as he continues to play despite an oblique injury.

Akers, who won Super Bowl LVI with the Rams, and Jones are on Seattle’s practice squad. Holani is eligible to come off injured reserve – where he has been since injuring his hamstring in Week 12 – although McDonald did not indicate whether that would happen this week.

“That’s why we brought them here, to provide great running back depth,” McDonald said of Jones and Akers. “Both are really good players in their own right, and they have a great opportunity in front of them. You hate to be in these circumstances, but it is what it is. We have to move on. So they will be ready to go.”

Another way the Seahawks can compensate for Charbonnet’s absence is their tremendous push play, which has become nearly unstoppable in short-yardage situations with tight ends aj barner. Barner has converted 10 of 11 attempts, although only one of those attempts resulted in a touchdown as Seattle relied on Charbonnet at the goal line. Six of Charbonnet’s team-high 12 rushing touchdowns came from 1 or 2 yards.

“It’s going to be something we’re going to be relying on,” MacDonald said of the strong push. “These other people will be good at some of those [goal-line] Circumstances too.”

When the Seahawks opted not to give Walker an extension last offseason when he became eligible for one, the logical assumption was that they had doubts about his durability after missing 10 games in three years. He was then limited during the spring by an ankle injury, before he was held out of a portion of training camp due to foot soreness.

It was a difficult start to the contract year, with Walker making changes to his eating and sleeping habits in the off-season aimed at improving his durability and performance. But since then, he has barely appeared on the weekly injury report, playing in all 18 games.

How he performs in Charbonnet’s absence will help determine his future in Seattle and whether the Seahawks’ offense can continue its run game en route to Super Bowl LX.

“I know he was working on his legs during the offseason. It was frustrating for him because he was working so much,” McDonald said. “Hopefully he realizes it’s paid dividends, the hard work he’s put in to really get himself in a good spot up to this point. I’ve seen a guy who’s gotten better through the season. You can’t say that about all runners, so it’s a tribute to him and the way he’s taken care of his body.”