Facing an Arizona Cardinals defense that shut down their run game two weeks ago and not having Kenneth Walker III available didn’t suggest a big day for the Seattle Seahawks’ ground attack. Zach Charbonnet had other ideas.
The second-year back spurred Seattle’s offense, rushing for a career-high 134 yards with two touchdowns as the Seahawks secured a 30-18 win over the Cardinals.
“Ken is obviously a dynamite back and we would’ve loved to have him,” head coach Mike Macdonald said, via the team’s official website. “But so is Zach, and Kenny McIntosh has proved that he can run the ball effectively as well. We didn’t feel like we needed to make any adjustments.”
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The Seahawks turned two early Kyler Murray interceptions into touchdowns, providing a double-digit cushion they’d hold most of the contest. Charbonnet did the rest. He added 59 receiving yards on seven catches, providing an outlet for Geno Smith and keeping the clock churning with bulldozing runs.
Charbonnet is the third player in Seahawks history with 100-plus rush yards, two-plus rush TDs and 50-plus receiving yards in a game, joining Shaun Alexander (2002) and Ricky Watters (1999).
The second-round pick out of UCLA credited the offensive line for opening up holes.
“They just made it easy for me,” Charbonnet said. “All I had to do was make a dude miss and it was able to work like that. I give all the credit to those guys up front.”
The second-year back is the first Seahawks player with 100-plus rush yards in a game since Walker in Week 1. With a bulldozing style, Charbonnet generated +41 rushing yards over expected on Sunday, the most by any Seattle runner in a game over the past two seasons.
“It’s tough to tackle that guy in the open field,” Macdonald said. “He’s got speed and power.”
The Charbonnet-led win marked the fourth consecutive for the Seahawks since their Week 10 bye. It’s the first four-game win streak for Seattle since Weeks 6-9, 2022. Moving to 8-5 keeps Macdonald’s club atop the NFC West by one game with four to play.
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