The Seattle Seahawks had one of their worst offensive performances of the season against the Chicago Bears, but this time the run game wasn’t to blame.
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Despite mustering just six points in a narrow victory over a struggling Bears squad, Seattle’s run game was a bright spot Thursday night.
The Seahawks rushed for 122 yards, their fourth-highest output of the season, and set the tone early with 91 rushing yards in the first half, nearly matching their 91.9 yards per game average entering the contest. They were able to do it without their top running back, too, after starter Kenneth Walker III was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury before the game.
With Walker out, second-year pros Zach Charbonnet and Kenny McIntosh led the way for the rushing attack. The pairing provide a different style of running to the the offense, according to Seahawks Radio Network analyst and former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus. He explained why he’s a fan of the style the duo brings to the table during his Four Down Territory segment Friday on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy.
“I love just how downhill it is,” Bumpus said.
The run game has been a struggle for much of the season for Seattle’s offense. They entered the week ranked 30th in the league in rushing yards per game. The Seahawks have reached 100 rushing yards eight times this season. Three of those performances have come in the five games Walker has missed, including a season-best 176 rushing yards in their Dec. 8 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
“(Walker) is the more gifted back,” Bumpus said. “He’s shown that. He has one of the more explosive plays every single year – minus this year. But with these two, they are just getting downhill. They’re following the rear end of big (Abraham Lucas) and (Charles Cross) and everyone who’s on that offensive line. They know that if I stay behind this mammoth of a man, the chances of me hitting it for a big one are great. So that’s what I love about it. There is no cutback with these two.”
‘He’s answered the bell’
McIntosh rushed for a career-best 46 yards and averaged 6.6 yards on his seven carries against the Bears. The Georgia product broke off the game’s longest run with a 25-yard burst into the red zone that set up Jason Myers’ 27-yard field goal on the Seahawks’ opening drive.
Kenny McIntosh wears number 25 and runs for 25 yards!#SEAvsCHI on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/0qeNzkGIE9— NFL (@NFL) December 27, 2024
The seven carries also matched a career high for McIntosh set during Seattle’s season-best rushing performance against the Cardinals. He rushed for 38 yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry in that game.
McIntosh hasn’t gotten much of a chance to be on the field during his two NFL seasons due to an injury last year and being behind Walker and Charbonnet on the depth chart. But head coach Mike Macdonald has liked what he’s seen from McIntosh so far.
“He’s won national championships. The guy’s got a pedigree,” Macdonald said during The Mike Macdonald Show on Seattle Sports. “He’s got a natural running style and he kind of runs bigger than he looks – like he runs heavier but with agility, which I think is cool. … He’s a guy that we’ve challenged throughout the season to stay ready and stay prepared when he’s given opportunities, and he’s answered the bell on that.”
Tune in to Bump and Stacy weekdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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