RENTON, Wash. — If not for Zach Charbonnet, the Seattle Seahawks may be enjoying Sunday’s NFC Championship Recreation towards the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium versus internet hosting it at Lumen Subject because the convention’s high seed. Or they won’t be enjoying for a visit to Tremendous Bowl LX in any respect.
Recall how vital of a task the third-year operating again performed when the Seahawks beat their division rivals in Seattle in Week 16.
Charbonnet opened the scoring with a 4-yard landing run after which made an all-time heads-up play on a 2-point try within the fourth quarter. As different gamers had been beginning to stroll off the sphere, considering Sam Darnold’s display go had been batted down for an incompletion, Charbonnet correctly grabbed what turned out to be a stay ball in the long run zone. The profitable attempt tied the rating at 30-30, finishing the Seahawks’ unbelievable comeback from a 16-point deficit earlier than they prevailed in time beyond regulation.
The win saved them atop the NFC West standings and answerable for the convention’s high seed.
The play that saved them alive in regulation confirmed one of many many traits which have made Charbonnet a favourite of coach Mike Macdonald. However the Seahawks can be with out these traits for the remainder of their postseason now that Charbonnet — a part of their two-headed dashing assault with Kenneth Walker III — wants season-ending surgical procedure to restore a knee harm he suffered throughout Seattle’s 41-6 win over the San Francisco 49ers within the divisional spherical Saturday.
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You could possibly hear the ache in Macdonald’s voice when he delivered the information Monday.
“It breaks your coronary heart,” Macdonald informed Seattle Sports activities 710-AM. “… Prayers exit to Charbs. We love him, man. This man is the epitome of what it means to be a Seahawk. Absolute robust as nails, nice teammate, nice human being, performs his tail off, detail-oriented, unselfish. This hurts, man. It hurts that it is happening, however he’ll be again. He will be again stronger than ever, and the blokes are going to choose him up.”
Charbonnet’s loss is a major one given his significance in third down and short-yardage conditions, but it surely should not be insurmountable if Walker continues his latest tear.
Walker carried 19 instances for 116 yards and three touchdowns towards San Francisco, powering Seattle’s red-hot run sport after Charbonnet went down within the second quarter. Walker completed with 100 yards within the Week 16 win over the Rams and 97 after they beat the 49ers within the regular-season finale, which put him over 1,000 for the season.
“I feel Ken has finished a heck of a job,” Macdonald mentioned. “I feel you are seeing the outcomes previously X quantity of weeks now of … stacking all these reps. I assumed this was essentially the most decisive he is ran up up to now, and as anticipated, you simply maintain getting higher and maintain discovering methods to enhance, particularly within the run sport. He is finished an excellent job.”
Walker has performed in all 18 video games this season after coming into the ultimate yr of his rookie contract with sturdiness issues. It has most likely helped that he hasn’t carried the ball greater than 19 instances in any of them whereas sharing the work with Charbonnet. The remainder of the Seahawks’ playoff run will both be a take a look at of Walker’s capacity to deal with a larger workload or of the power of their backup operating backs to step into bigger roles, whether or not it is Cam Akers, Velus Jones Jr., George Holani or a mix of the three.
Nevertheless it occurs, the Seahawks will want their run sport to take strain off of Darnold as he continues to play via an indirect harm.
Akers, who gained Tremendous Bowl LVI with the Rams, and Jones are on Seattle’s apply squad. Holani is eligible to return off injured reserve — the place he has been since hurting his hamstring in Week 12 – although Macdonald didn’t point out whether or not or not that can occur this week.
“That is a part of the explanation we introduced them right here, is to supply nice operating again depth,” Macdonald mentioned of Jones and Akers. “Each are actually good gamers in their very own proper, they usually’ve received an excellent alternative in entrance of them. You hate it to be beneath these circumstances, however it’s what it’s. We have got to maneuver ahead. So that they’ll be able to go.”
One other means through which the Seahawks could make up for Charbonnet’s absence is with their tush push play, which has develop into nearly unstoppable in short-yardage conditions with tight finish AJ Barner. Barner has transformed 10 of 11 makes an attempt, although solely a type of performs has resulted in a landing as Seattle has as an alternative relied on Charbonnet on the purpose line. Six of Charbonnet’s team-high 12 dashing touchdowns got here from 1 or 2 yards out.
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“That is going to be one thing we proceed to lean on,” Macdonald mentioned of the tush push. “These different guys can be good in a few of these [goal-line] conditions as nicely.”
When the Seahawks opted to not give Walker an extension this previous offseason when he grew to become eligible for one, the logical assumption was that that they had reservations about his sturdiness after sitting out 10 video games in three years. He was then restricted in the course of the spring due to an ankle harm earlier than a sore foot sidelined him for a piece of coaching camp.
It was a troublesome begin to a contract yr after Walker had made modifications over the offseason to his consuming and sleeping habits with an eye fixed towards bettering his sturdiness and efficiency. However since then, he has barely appeared on the weekly harm studies whereas enjoying in all 18 video games to this point.
How he performs in Charbonnet’s absence will assist decide his future in Seattle and whether or not the Seahawks’ offense can proceed to trip its run sport to Tremendous Bowl LX.
“I do know he was working via his foot over the course of the offseason. That was irritating for him due to the quantity of labor that he was placing in,” Macdonald mentioned. “Hopefully he realizes the dividends that is paid, that work he put in to actually get himself in a great spot up up to now. I’ve seen a man that is gotten higher via the season. You’ll be able to’t say that about all runners, in order that’s a tribute to him and the way he is taken I’ve taken care of his physique.”
