The Seattle Seahawks' offense was struggling in Week 17 against the Carolina Panthers. Much is the same way recent weeks have gone, and in the opposite direction that the seasons began. Seattle used to score a lot in the first half. Currently, they are lucky to reach double digits.
At halftime against Carolina, a team battling to win its division and make the postseason, the score was tied 3-3. Quarterback Sam Darnold's fumble set up the Panthers in field goal position; otherwise, Seattle's defense was dominating. Running back Zach Charbonnet was beginning to.
After the game, head coach Mike Macdonald said Chabonnet's performance was his best game with the team. It is difficult to argue the point. The bruising running back literally carried the offense to help Seattle win 27-10. He ran 18 times for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Seattle Seahawks' Zach Charbonnet proves in Week 17 he is worthy of being the featured running back
While he had a couple of long runs that proved he is capable of explosiveness, what was most impressive was the running back's ability to churn out three or four yards on seemingly every run, even with defenders draped all over him.
While the Seahawks go with a truly two-back system, and Kenneth Walker is a good player as well, one who creates explosive plays even more than Charbonnet, it might be Charbonnet who needs the ball in the playoffs more. He can get plus-yards more consistently late in games, and he could seal tight postseason games.
Beyond the 2025 season, however, Charbonnet might have just sealed Walker's fate with the team. Walker is a free agent, while Charbonnet has another season left on his rookie contract. Depending on how much Walker wants to make, Seattle could let him walk and make Charbonnet the featured back.
If that happens, the Seahawks could simply draft a running back (just, hopefully, not in the second round as it did with Walker and Charbonnet due to little draft capital Seattle currently has in 2026) and have that back take some of Charbonnet's reps.
Ideally, Walker would come back, and the carries would be split again, but that is a worry for the future. The current state of the Seattle Seahawks is one where the team is capable of reaching the Super Bowl. There is no reason to believe Zach Charbonnet would not play an extremely impactful role in that potential run to a title.