Seahawks week 6 MVP: The return of the prodigal son Alex Collins
The Seahawks came up short in Sunday’s contest vs the Steelers, but that certainly wasn’t the fault of my game MVP, backup running back Alex Collins. In a game that had more than its share of negatives, Collins was a huge plus.
The Seahawks looked dead in the water after the first half of Sunday’s game against the Steelers. They’d only managed, what, 65 yards in total offense? The Steelers held the ball for nearly 21 minutes and led 14-0. Michael Dickson may be a Pro Bowl punter, but that doesn’t mean Seattle needs to use him on every drive.
Yet that’s exactly what they did in the first half, as every drive (other than a one-play kneel to end the half) ended in a punt. Clearly, things weren’t going the Seahawks way.
Now it’s true that the Hawks were missing starting running back Chris Carson. But I’m pretty sure that backup Alex Collins had already proved just how capable he is. So why did Seattle only get Collins four touches in the first half? He was coming off back-to-back games with over 70 yards from scrimmage, after all. No, that isn’t a lot, but he averaged over 5 yards per touch. That deserves more than four attempts, right?
Seahawks still had an MVP performance in week 6
As it turns out, the Seahawks agreed. In the excellent second-half comeback, they made Alex Collins the workhorse. Collins had 16 carries to finish with 101 yards and a score, earning the only “A” grade for the game. He was the first Hawks player to break the hundred mark since Carson waaay back in 1819. Okay, not quite, but it was in 2019. Maybe if Seattle actually gave him the ball in the second half more often, he’d have already done it this year too. Three touches in the second half against the Vikings after he gained 74 yards in the first half is inexcusable. It wasn’t just Carson, either. Seattle only ran the ball three times in the second half of that game. It was a mirror image of Sunday’s game, except the outcome was, unfortunately, the same.
Next. Three takeaways from loss to Steelers. dark
Back to Alex Collins. Like Carson, he can only pick up yards if his number is called. Thankfully, the Hawks remembered that there’s a player in the backfield behind the quarterback. It wasn’t quite enough, but Collins did all he could to bring the win back to the 12s. Yes, he was also my overachiever for the game, but for me, he was clearly the week six MVP.