How can Seahawks get Russell Wilson back succeeding? Get Chris Carson, Carlos Hyde back
Amid the noise about Pete Carroll not going for it on fourth and inches at a turning point against the Rams, consider: The Seahawks’ coach wouldn’t have had that decision to blow if he had his running backs and offense he wants.
Powerful lead back Chris Carson was out injured for Seattle at Los Angeles Sunday, for the third consecutive game. Same with bullish Carlos Hyde, the team’s number-two rusher.
“At this point, we don’t feel the same,” Carroll said of his running game after three more turnovers by Russell Wilson in a 23-16 loss at the Rams dropped the Seahawks to third place in the hard-charging NFC West.
“We don’t feel the same in our mix.”
Sounds like they may have a better run brew Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals, for the first time in a month.
Carroll said Monday he believes Hyde will play for the first time since he strained his hamstring Oct. 25. That was the night Arizona beat Seattle in overtime in the desert.
Carson sprained his foot earlier in that game. He, like Hyde, hasn’t played since.
The Seahawks (6-3) have lost three of the four games Carson and Hyde have missed. Wilson has committed 10 turnovers in three games during that span. Those are Seattle’s losses this season.
“I think Carlos is going to make it for this week. And we’ll see about Chris. That will help us out,” Carroll said Monday.
The coach said Carson is “working to get back.” That’s what he said last week. Carson did some running late in the week, but did not make the team’s trip to Los Angeles.
Carson rushed for 2,381 yards with 16 touchdowns combined the previous two seasons. A sprained knee in September and then his sprained foot in October has made the final season of his contract a frustrating one for him.
And for Wilson and Carroll.
Seattle has gone from rushing for 200 yards the last game Carson and Hyde played, last month at Arizona, to 57 yards at Buffalo then a misleading 113 on Sunday against the Rams. Wilson had 60 those 113 yards rushing in L.A. That was while he was scrambling away from the Rams’ constant pressure; they sacked him six times and knocked him down 12 more times.
Seahawks running backs Alex Collins, in his second game since 2018, plus rookie DeeJay Dallas combined for just 51 yards on 13 carries against Los Angeles. The backs had just six carries in the second half, even though Seattle was trailing only 17-13 at the start of it.
This is the same story it’s been the last three seasons for the Seahawks. They have to run, to keep defenses from sending blitzers and edge rushers teeing off on so many attempts to throw by Wilson.
Searching for why Wilson’s committing so many turnovers? Start by looking at how much he’s getting hit.
Without Carson and Hyde to worry about, opposing defensive game planners have basically spat on Seattle’s run game this month. They’ve just sent their pass rushers at Wilson, care-free. One week after Buffalo’s 16 knockdowns on Wilson (five sacks and 11 hits) were the most on an NFL quarterback in a game this season, the Rams knocked him down 18 times.
L.A. got to rush at Wilson against Seahawks backup center Kyle Fuller, who played through a high-ankle sprain in the first half starting for Ethan Pocic, who is still in concussion protocol. By the fourth quarter, Jamarco Jones was in as the Plan-C left guard. Mike Iupati and Jordan Simmons were both hurt.
“Let Russ Cook” is all the rage when he has a proven rushing threat, namely Carson, to keep defenses honest. Wilson was the early front-runner for the NFL’s most valuable player award and Seattle was 5-0 with Carson and Hyde, a 1,000-yard rusher last year for Houston, lining up behind him. They weren’t always running a lot, but defenses honored their presence.
Without Carson and Hyde, Wilson’s committed seven turnovers the last two weeks, both thudding losses. He’s had consecutive games with multiple interceptions for the first time since early in his rookie season of 2012. Seattle has gone 1-4 while Carson and Hyde have been hurt.
How much can having Carson and/or Hyde back help Wilson get back to himself?
“It’s important to us, it really is,” Carroll said.
“And if they’re not able to, then we have to develop the other guys. We’ve got to make sure that we are going to it. It’s just part of the way we play.
“It’s felt a little bit different. I’d like to get us back to a more balanced approach we’ve always had.”
That sounds like a call to offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer to return to his and Carroll’s play-calling roots: more running, if only to take the burden off Wilson.
It’s obvious Schottenheimer and Carroll don’t trust Dallas. The week after Carson and Hyde got hurt, the rookie fourth-round draft choice had just six carries for seven yards in the first half of his first career start, three games ago against San Francisco. Dallas finished that game with 18 carries for 41 yards and his first NFL touchdown in what’s been the team’s only win in the last four weeks.
Dallas has had just nine carries the last two games, for 39 yards.
Travis Homer has had a bruised knee. Then against the Rams the third-down back injured his thumb. He had a bulbous wrap over it when he returned to play late in that game in L.A. Sunday.
Collins signed onto Seattle’s practice squad two weeks ago. With Carroll wanting any semblance of a power running game, Collins started against the Rams. He scored his first NFL touchdown since 2018, when he was with Baltimore. He finished with 43 yards on 11 carries.
Asked if it’s possible to “develop” Dallas and Collins into the offense in the middle of a division-title race the Seahawks are now viewing from behind for the first time this season, the coach chuckled.
“We don’t have any choice,” he said. “That’s all we’ve got.”
This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 3:41 PM.
