Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet Garners Ground Player of Week Honors

Benefiting from great blocking and creating big chunks of yardage on his own, Zach Charbonnet shouldered the load as the Seahawks beat the Cardinals in Arizona.

Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet (26) runs for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals in the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

On the heels of a career day leading his team to a 30-18 win over the Arizona Cardinals to finish off the season sweep against their NFC West rivals, Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet captured FedEx Ground Player of the Week honors for Week 14.

Starting in place of injured starter Ken Walker III, Charbonnet put Seattle's offense on his back, rushing 22 times for a career-high 134 yards and two touchdowns, including a 51-yard score on a counter trey run. In addition, he enjoyed a strong day as a pass catcher out of the backfield, hauling in seven catches for 59 yards, second-most on the team behind only Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Charbonnet's longest gain as a receiver came on a screen when he took a dump off from Geno Smith and exploded for a 20-yard pickup, setting up a Jason Myers field goal midway through the first quarter. As noted by coach Mike Macdonald on Monday, he also snagged a high throw at full extension, preventing what could have resulted in a turnover.

“[Charbonnet’s] full talents were on display, right?” Macdonald said on Monday. “How he’s able to take care of the ball, I think just his after-contact type of yardage and productivity was really awesome to see running through some arm tackles … I mean, those are big-time yards for us that help us keep the ball moving forward.”

Per Pro Football Focus, Charbonnet accounted for the vast majority of his yardage with the ball in his hands running through defenders, racking up 125 yards after contact with six missed tackles forced. He also posted a sterling 67.2 percent breakaway rate with three designed runs of 15 or more yards, dicing up a previously stout Cardinals defense on the ground all afternoon.

With Charbonnet leading the charge and fellow second-year back Kenny McIntosh also finding success in limited action, the Seahawks surpassed 170 rushing yards as a team for the first time since January 2023 when they hit the mark in a Week 18 win over the Rams. After the game, the former UCLA standout applauded the play of his offensive line, receivers, and tight ends for helping him and McIntosh enjoy the success they did on Sunday.

"The line, the receivers downfield blocking, tight ends went out there and balled out," Charbonnet said. "They just made it easy for me, 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.”

For the 2024-25 season, FedEx has teamed up with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to make donations of $2,000 in the names of the two winning players ($4,000 total) to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) across the country each week. In total, the FedEx Air & Ground NFL Awards program has donated nearly 3 million dollars to various non-profits, charities, hospitals, and other humanitarian organizations.

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