How much will Chris Carson’s injury affect the Seahawks?

SEATTLE, WA - OCTOBER 01: Running back J.D. McKissic (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - OCTOBER 01: Running back J.D. McKissic (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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The Seahawks lost running back Chris Carson for the foreseeable future on Sunday. Carson has a fracture in his leg and a high ankle sprain. What will Seattle do in his absence?

Chris Carson was not expected to start for the Seahawks when he was drafted at the end of the seventh round this year. In fact, many people probably thought Carson would not make the team. But then the rookie was great in training camp. He was fantastic is preseason games. By week two of the regular season he was the clear option to start.

In the first four games of Seattle’s season, Thomas Rawls hardly played. C.J. Prosise played but then missed a game with injury, of course – he always does. Eddie Lacy played sparingly, and was a healthy scratch in one game. Against the Colts, J.D. McKissic played some at running back and played well.

At least if Carson has to be injured, the Seahawks have options. But how good of options are they?

The pieces in play

Lacy was a big splash signing this offseason. He mostly reached the weight the Seahawks wanted him to be. But he wasn’t impressive in training camp or preseason and, until Sunday, did next to nothing in real games. Lacy, though, did look promising against the Colts. Lacy ran for 52 yards on 11 carries and looked good doing it. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Lacy start against the Rams on Sunday.

Rawls…I mean, what is he? When he is playing well, he is great. But he is so inconsistent in production and health. There is no real way he can be relied on week-to-week to carry the Seahawks to the playoffs.

The same goes for Prosise. He has had moments in his career, like in 2016 against the New England Patriots, where it is easy to see him as The Man. But he hasn’t had a healthy season since his early college years.

The fourth back on Sunday will be McKissic. What he lacks in size and experience he almost makes up for in versatility. He hasn’t yet proven he can be successful long-term, however.

One aspect that Seattle should keep in mind, though, is while they want a big and bruising back like Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks offense at this point runs better with a back who can play out wide as well. Carson helped make the offense better because he could split out and catch the ball. McKissic can do this. So can Prosise.

Seattle has to ask itself the question of how they want the offense to run the rest of the year. When they line up and run, they are not good. But when they create chaos and let Russell Wilson use options, they can score points. Lacy may not be the answer to the second part. But health keeps Seattle from really spreading things out constantly.

Related Story: Pete Carroll updates Seahawks injuries on Monday

Maybe there is no other answer to who should play running back in Seattle now that Carson is gone.