Just imagine if Chris Carson was still in the Seahawks backfield
If Chris Carson was still playing, the Seahawks season would look quite different. He’s probably even better than you realized.
It really doesn’t take much imagination to see Chris Carson still bursting through the line, does it? Especially since no one else on the Seahawks is doing that consistently. What may surprise you is just how well Carson stacks up against the league’s elite running backs.
Surely I jest. A seventh round draft pick with less than 50 carries among the NFL’s best? It’s true, and you’re about to read why. And stop calling me Shirley. (Unless you mean Shirley Povich, in which case, compliment accepted, though certainly not deserved).
First, a quick look at Mr. Carson’s stats. 49 carries for 208 yards and no touchdowns on the ground. Add 7 catches for 59 yards and one touchdown through the air. Not bad, not great, right? We’ll get a bit more in-depth here, don’t worry. Before we drill down into those stats, let’s add that Carson has zero fumbles, and made 11 first downs rushing, and three more receiving. That’s one more yard than Amara Darboh and one more first down.
More from 12th Man Rising
- 4 prospects Seahawks could reach for at No. 20 in 2023 NFL Draft
- Seattle Seahawks Mock Draft: Post-first wave of free agency
- Seahawks podcast: A review of the first week of free agency
- 4 experiments the Seattle Seahawks could cut short in 2023
- 3 pros and cons of Seattle Seahawks drafting Anthony Richardson
Carson also has 47 yards after the catch. That 6.7 yard average compares pretty well to big names like Christian McCaffrey (6.7 yards) and Alvin Kamara (7.0 yards). It’s a small sample, as it’s based on only four games, but there’s no reason to think Carson wouldn’t have continued at the same level of performance.
Those other guys aren’t running behind the Seahawks line
That’s the real difference here. Todd Gurley is running behind an offensive line that played the same five guys every game. Just look what Alex Collins is doing in Baltimore. Yes, the same Alex Collins who came in sixth in the Seahawks running back competition, and rightly so. He’s on his way to a 1,000 yard season.
What have the other Seahawks backs done? Not much, as I’m sure you know. Eddie Lacy has 48 carries, Thomas Rawls has 49. That’s the same opportunities as Carson had. Their averages are 2.7 and 2.6 yards, respectively. I have this funny feeling that if Alex Collins was running behind this line, he’d still be struggling to find a spot.
If Carson hadn’t been injured, he’d now have over 400 yards, probably quite a bit more, as he’d likely be carrying a somewhat heavier load. At first you might think the Seahawks wouldn’t have won the Washington game, as Lacy and Rawls actually ran okay. They had 59 yards on 15 carries.
But considering they did nothing against Houston, I think it’s pretty reasonable to assume that Carson would have run wild on the Redskins. Washington has given up a bit over 100 yards per game on the ground. Rawls had his best game of 2017 that day. There’s no reason to think Carson wouldn’t have sustained some of those near countless stalled drives, and helped the Seahawks notch that much-needed seventh win. If he’d stayed healthy, you’d hear his name a lot on the post-game shows.