How Can Seahawks Get Ken Walker III, Run Game Untracked?

Near the bottom of the NFL in every major rushing category, the Seahawks have yet to find the balance needed to fully unlock their offense. What's the solution?

Oct 27, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3, left) and defensive tackle Eli Ankou (51) tackle Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) short of the end zone during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Currently ranked a pedestrian 13th in points scored and failing to live up to lofty expectations as an offense through eight weeks, the Seattle Seahawks' inability to generate a consistent run game has been the biggest culprit behind the team's underperformance.

Despite having a talented backfield duo of Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet, the Seahawks rank near the bottom of the NFL in nearly every meaningful rushing category. Aside from being 28th in rushing yards (714), they rank 31st in attempts (168), 28th in yards before contact (422), and 22nd in yards after contact (292). The offensive line has been a big part of the problem as well, ranking 22nd in Pro Football Focus' run blocking grade (61.1) and 25th in ESPN's Run Block Win Rate metric (69 percent).

There have been a few games this season where offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb has inexplicably opted to abandon the run game early, including taking the blame for only giving Walker five carries in a stunning Week 5 loss to the NFC East cellar dwelling Giants. But in Sunday's loss to the Bills, the play caller worked diligently to try to establish a balanced offense, only for Walker and Charbonnet to combine for 16 rushing yards on 12 carries with the offensive line unable to create running room.

It's been a frustrating dilemma for Mike Macdonald's squad, as the Seahawks' aerial attack has been prolific at times this year and finding a consistent run game to complement Geno Smith and company would be a major difference maker when it comes to putting points on the scoreboard. But even after being held to 32 rushing yards last weekend, the first-year coach still believes the team will get their ground game figured out soon.

"We're all in this thing together and we're going to get it figured out," Macdonald said. "I mean, we're going to be a good run team, going to have an efficient offense. I do feel like I'm a little bit of a broken record every week, but I do feel optimistic talking to the coaches and watching the tape. I thought our guys actually played really hard yesterday afternoon.

"These things at some point we're going to get ironed out, we're going to get this thing rolling. I think once you complement getting the run game going with all the other mechanisms we have in our offense and our system and all of our skill guys and the way Geno's throwing the ball, I think that could be a really potent attack."

What has gone wrong so far for Seattle's ground game and what needs to happen to get Ken Walker III and Zach Charbonnet rolling again to complement Geno Smith and the passing game? On a new episode of Locked On Seahawks, hosts Corbin Smith and Rob Rang take a deep dive into the numbers and film to investigate where the Seahawks have fallen short running the ball and what can be done to try to remedy the issue.

Smith and Rang also dish out their Tell the Truth Tuesday takeaways tying Sunday's loss to the Bills to the state of the team after eight weeks, including star defenders not rising to the occasion against top opponents, and take a first look at the Rams heading towards Sunday's first matchup of the year between the two rivals at Lumen Field.

Listen to the latest Locked On Seahawks in entirety here or subscribe for free to the podcast platform of your choice here.

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