The Seattle Seahawks may not have 99 problems after their opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but they have more than their share. None may be more pressing than at a position we thought was a strength coming into the season.
This team has a lot of work to do following this painful 17-13 loss. Remember when everyone was going crazy about how great the running game looked against the Raiders and the Chiefs? They looked amazing, alright. I mean, they ran for over 400 yards in those first two games. And somehow, a lot of 12s forgot it was just the preseason.
Not to say I told you so, but yeah, that's exactly what I did. How many yards did Seattle gain on the ground versus San Francisco? You know, when it counted? 84. That's barely two yards more than practice squad guy Jacardia Writght had in the preseason.
This is why you don't get too amped over preseason performances, 12s. No one was more disappointing than a player who's been a star since the Seahawks drafted him three years ago.
Seattle Seahawks' Kenneth Walker III has to get his game right
Yes, K9 has been on a lot of people's minds (and social media) this offseason. He's been rumored as trade bait, written off as fragile as porcelain, and generally maligned as already past his prime. It's fair to say I had higher hopes for Walker. I pictured he'd step back into his starting role and take Seattle's offense to new heights. I slightly overestimated his impact.
Hey, at least I voiced this concern in a follow-up article: "He has to hit the holes without hesitation." That isn't exactly what K9 did against the Niners. On his very first play from scrimmage, he picked up four yards. On his next run, he gained another four. Nice start, right? Then he fell into those old habits.
He ran right, took a couple of stutter steps behind Anthony Bradford and Abe Lucas, and was dropped for a one-yard loss. Then he ran up the middle and was buried for a three-yard loss. On Seattle's first drive of the second half, he was stopped for no gain. To that point, he had five carries for four yards.
Zach Charbonett wasn't exactly lighting up the scoreboard - except he literally did, as he had the Seahawks' first touchdown. But #26 had 34 yards by then, while Walker had those pitiful four. Same line, same scheme. The difference? Charbonett hit the line at full power every time, while K9 did whatever he was doing. Charbonett only had 47 yards on a dozen carries, but Walker finished with a measly 20 on 10 attempts.
He has to figure this out at some point, or it's going to be a very long season. Maybe not for the Seahawks, as I expect they'll bounce back next week when they visit the Steelers. But for Walker, yes. He certainly didn't look like a conduit for anyone's offense in Week 1.