Playoffs, Rams’ pass rush: Time for Seahawks to fully use the fully motivated Chris Carson
Chris Carson shook his head defiantly.
Fresh? Of course he feels fresh. He feels his Seahawks haven’t used him a whole heck of a lot.
“I feel fresh, regardless,” the lead running back said.
That was 11 days ago. He had just rushed 16 times for 69 yards the last time his Seahawks played the Rams.
“If I get 18 (carries), 10, 25, or 30, I feel fresh.”
Carson has never been fresher at this point in a season. That’s the silver lining to him having a month off in the middle of this season because of a sprained foot.
Then again, Carson has rarely been available at this point in a season.
What’s wrong with Russell Wilson?
Why can’t the Seahawks throw the ball down the field to DK Metcalf anymore?
Will the offense turn it around for the playoffs?
Really, the most important question surrounding Seattle’s first home playoff game in four years is: Does the often-injured Carson being fresh mean the Seahawks will fully use him in the playoffs—beginning in the NFC wild-card game against the Rams’ top-ranked defense Saturday in Seattle?
Signs are yes. Or at least more than they’ve used him so far this season.
“I think Chris feels really good. I think you see the way he’s running,” Seahawks play caller and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said.
“I’ve not seen him run with this much confidence, this much determination. Just pull up some of the runs where we get them to the second level, and see him challenge safeties, see him challenge corners trying to come off blocks at the second level.
“I’ve not seen that consistently from Chris. I think he’s becoming ‘The Punisher.’”
That’s far better than being The Punished.
He’s yet to play a full season injury free since he was in junior college, before Seattle drafted him out of Oklahoma State in the seventh round in 2017.
The Seahawks have played in three postseason games since they drafted Carson. He’s only played in one them. He had 13 carries for 20 yards in Seattle’s 24-22 loss at Dallas in the wild-card round on Jan. 5, 2019.
A limited season
Carson sprained his knee in week 3 of this season, when Dallas’ Trysten Hill twisted his leg at the end of a tackle. The following week he was evaluated for a concussion following a hit during the first half at Miami. That was his most productive game of the season: 16 rushes for 80 yards and two touchdowns. That was way back on Oct. 4.
He had just 13 carries the rest of October. He sprained his foot in Seattle’s final game of that month, the overtime loss at Arizona Oct. 25. He missed four games.
Since he returned Nov. 30 at Philadelphia, the Seahawks have had Carson run 13, 12, 15, 16 and 11 times. The 11 rushes was last weekend, when he left for stretches of the regular-season finale against San Francisco.
Carson’s season high in carries this season is 17. That was way back in week 2, in Seattle’s win over New England. That’s the lowest season high he’s had in the NFL.
Featuring Carson is particularly important for the Seahawks to slow the pass rush of All-World tackle Aaron Donald and the Rams. Donald’s 13 sacks of Wilson in 14 career games against Seattle are the All-Pro’s most against any team. The Rams have sacked Wilson 72 times in 18 games over the quarterback’s nine-year career. That’s more than any other team.
L.A. sacked Wilson 11 times and hit him 20 other times in the last two meetings, the Rams’ 23-16 home win in November and Seattle’s 20-9 home win Dec. 27.
The best way to slow down a rampaging pass rush is to run right at it. The best runner the Seahawks have is Carson.
They can do the math, too.
“I think him getting back, what you would love to see, we’d love to see, is him getting more involved in the passing game,” Schottenheimer said. “Early in the season right, three or four touchdowns early (three TDs receiving for Carson in the first two games).
“Good he’s back now. He’s feeling good, so he’s running really good routes and things like that.”
Carson left the 49ers game last weekend for stretches, getting Rashaad Penny his most extensive time in his three games back from 12 months out because of reconstructive knee surgery. Eventually Carson stayed out late in the fourth quarter, yielding to Alex Collins when Seattle took a two-score lead.
“I’ve not asked him (about his health). I see in practice,” Schottenheimer said. “He looks great.
“All backs this time of year are going to be beat up, you know. It’s a physical game.
“But I think he looks great right now.”
Right now’s the time for Carson to be great.
His 147 carries for 681 yards were his fewest since his rookie season, when he played only four games and broke his leg in 2017. The 147 rushes in 12 games (12 per game) this regular season were about half his 278 carries he got in 15 games (18.5 per game) in 2019.
Some of that is because the Seahawks had Wilson throwing all over the league in September and October, out-gunning teams to cover for their injured and malfunctioning defense on their way to setting the franchise record for points scored (459) this season. Some of Carson’s reduced work was his month out injured, plus offseason signing Carlos Hyde becoming a reliable, veteran number two while Penny was out until late December.
Running is Carroll’s playoff way
Now, in the playoffs, is the time the Seahawks have featured their runners. At least when they’ve won in the postseason.
It’s the way coach Pete Carroll wants to win: with balanced offense and a punishing running game that sets the tone of the biggest, closest games.
Carroll has coached Seattle in 17 playoff games since he began leading the franchise in 2010. He’s won 10 of those postseason games. In seven of those 10 playoff wins, the Seahawks have had a running back carry the ball at least 19 times.
Yes, there is a causation factor of running the ball more in victories, most obviously to run out the clock of games when the offense is comfortably leading.
But consider this: when Thomas Rawls romped 27 times for a Seattle playoff-record 161 yards on Jan. 7, 2017, against Detroit, the Seahawks led the Lions only 10-6 going into the fourth quarter.
Seattle trailed for all but the final 12 minutes of its freezer-box playoff game at Minnesota Jan. 10, 2016, when Christine Michael rushed 21 times for 70 yards.
Marshawn Lynch’s 25 rushes for 157 yards in the 2015 NFC championship game came while the Seahawks fell into a 16-0 deficit to the Packers by the third quarter. Seattle’s epic comeback and overtime win got the team into Super Bowl 49.
Those examples are dated, with running backs long gone. That’s because the Seahawks haven’t rushed a running back more than 13 times in a playoff game since then. And they’ve won only two of their last five postseason games.
Their running backs have rushed more than 13 times in just one of those last five playoff games. That was two Januarys ago, in Carson’s only career postseason game entering Saturday.
Seattle’s best way to solve the Rams’ number-one ranked defense and their nasty pass rush is to run the powerful Carson between the tackles, right at L.A.
“I think he looks great right now,” Schottenheimer said.
Wilson repeatedly calls Carson “one of the best running backs in the National Football League.” Saturday he will have his five starting offensive linemen healthy and playing together for only the sixth time in 17 games this season.
Plus, Carson is in the final year of his contract. He wanted Seattle to have at least talked to him about re-doing his deal last summer.
He’s ultra-motivated to romp across football’s grandest stage, the NFL playoffs. Motivated to show the rest of the league his value to get paid come free agency in March.
“This is what we want to do, each and every week; we want to run the ball,” Carson said. “We’ve got me, Carlos, Penny. We are stacked up at running back. We’ve got the guys to do it, the guys up front...
“I mean, this is big, you know what I’m saying? To have everybody healthy this time of year.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 11:44 AM.
