Mike Macdonald breaks down how Seahawks can bring run game to life

The Seattle Seahawks have been recharging during last week’s bye week, leading up to this week’s preparations for the Week 9 Sunday Night Football road game versus the Washington Commanders. Seattle focused on getting healthy on both sides of the ball, especially on defense. The team also attempted to fix their big issues.

One area where the Seahawks looked to address some concerns during the break was improving the rushing offense. While the Seahawks rank seventh in the league in points per game (19.4) and eighth in passing offense (244.4 yards per game), the rushing game didn't have firepower. Seattle is averaging 106.1, which is 21st in the league.

It’s an area that will hurt the Seahawks if they don't properly address the issues before the ten-game stretch. Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald spoke to ESPN’s Brady Henderson about the need to add the rushing game to the team’s identity.

Mike Macdonald on Seahawks' run game

“We've put ourselves in a position to really attack this second half of the season, and we know we can improve.”

He went on to talk about how confident the team feels in their progress to build and develop their offense.

"I think we're on the right track. We have a probably 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 I think we don't need wholesale changes. We need to keep attacking it. There's detail involved. There's operation involved. Game plan, scheme, kind of all of the above is room for improvement, and I think we saw last game, we took a stride. We've just got to keep moving in that direction."”

There has been a lot of concern with the Seahawks’ rushing offense, mostly on how much they utilized their two running back system with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. Many have felt Walker has been taken away from key reps for the less explosive and Charbonnet.

The Seahawks have only one game this season where they’ve featured a 100-yard rusher. That game was in the 31-17 Week 2 road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Seattle’s 27-19 Week 7 win over the Houston Texans was potentially the only time where the offense benefited from a two-running back system. In that game, Charbonnet rushed for 49 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries (averaging 4.1 yards per carry) while Walker rushed for 66 yards on 17 carries (3.9 yards per carry).

The usage of the two players in the running game has been completely split, with Walker getting an average of 13.6 carries per game while Charbonnet averages 12 carries. The impact of those carries, however, is completely different as Walker averages 4.5 yards per carry while Charbonnet averages 2.8 yards. The most alarming usage is the snaps count, with Walker averaging 26.4 snaps while Charbonnet averages 33.7. This means the Seahawks have Charbonnet in for more plays, mostly in pass-protection.

The Seahawks have a way to judge if their rushing offense is developed properly after the bye week with their Sunday Night Football game. If not, the Seahawks could utilize the NFL Trade Deadline by Tuesday and trade for a reliable interior offensive lineman or backup running back. Either way, the Seahawks are committed to running the ball for the remainder of the season.

Mike Macdonald — Oct 5, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald takes the field prior to a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Lumen Field. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Mike Macdonald on Seahawks' run game

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