Seahawks Chris Carson fumbles twice and that is not good

Seahawks Chris Carson fumbles twice and that is not good. In a battle for starter, Carson’s miscues might cost him in a battle again Rashaad Penny.

Chris Carson fumbled twice in a row on first- and second-and-goal in the second quarter against the Chargers on Saturday. The first one didn’t count as the play was blown down. The second cost the Seahawks possession.

I am a huge Carson fan. I think he might have rushed for nearly 1,000 yards in 2017 if healthy. He does not have a history of fumbling, even in college. But he has never been in a position to be the guy as starting tailback. With two fumbles within the one yard-line on Saturday, maybe he shouldn’t be.

And Carson looked really good on the first drive for Seattle. That is, until a penalty called back his 23-yard touchdown run. After that, he wasn’t good. And neither was his offensive line or his fullback, Tre Madden. But the fumbles are on him, not the offensive line.

And Pete Carroll said specifically of Carson’s fumble that is was “a horrible thing to do.” That kind of verbiage from Carroll means a player has really messed up.

No NFL team cannot afford to have turnovers. And the Seahawks have found a way to turn the ball over in the other team’s 10 yard-line each of the first two preseason games. This cannot happen when the real games start. Not if the Seahawks want to make the playoffs in 2018.

But maybe we should give Carson the benefit of the doubt.

This is the preseason after all. The problem with thinking fumbles don’t matter, though, is Seattle has a thin line of being good enough to make the playoffs this year. Any mistake or two could cost them a real game or two and that might be enough to cost them a playoff spot.

Rashaad Penny was taken in the first round this year. Carson in the seventh in 2017. Last year Carson showed enough to make him potentially a starter in Seattle for a long time. Fumbles will cost him that chance, however. And cost Seattle football games. And that could be something a first-round Penny doesn’t lose them.