Seahawks Carson and Penny: the NFL’s best running back attack
The Seahawks led the NFL in rushing last season. I expect they’ll be even better in 2019, as Carson, Penny, and friends pile up the yards.
In 2018, the Seahawks ran the kind of offense that Pete Carroll loves – the key word being “ran”. Seattle easily led the league in rushing, jumping all the way up from 23rd in 2017. They improved by a mere 931 yards and 11 touchdowns. They won’t add 900 yards to last years total, but I do see the Hawks picking up even more yards on the ground, and getting into the endzone even more this year. This is how I see the workload panning out this year.
I see Chris Carson as the workhorse again, the same as everyone else on the planet. Having him on the field for 10 more games is one of the biggest reasons for the huge improvement in Seattle’s running game last season. The absence of Eddie Lacy certainly helped, too. I’m happy to note that 12thmanrising was on team Carson early.
More from Seattle Seahawks News
- 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
While I’m bragging about our amazing gridiron acumen, let me throw in that I expected a very different running back crew in 2017. I did manage to mention Chris Carson as an afterthought. So cheers to me. I have much more confidence in my prediction for 2019. Happily, it’s based on more than sheer optimism. Optimism goes a long way, but it only goes so far. Pete Carroll is much more than a cheerleader, after all.
Carson is obvious, as I mentioned before. After seeing light duty in the first two games – and that’s all I’ll say about it, for once – he averaged 19.5 carries the rest of the way last year. That sounds about right for 2019 as well, so give him, oh, 260 carries. That would give Carson about 1,200 yards. For the math-compulsives out there, you’re right, that’s about 40 carries short of a full season at last year’s rate. I’m assuming Carson will miss two or three games. With his style, he’s going to get dinged. Just not for half the season.