Seattle's Run Game Is 'Clicking' At The Right Moment

For the third-straight week, Seattle’s running backs have rushed for over 160 yards combined and are seeing success with big run plays.

Jan 04, 2026 at 01:46 AM

Ari Horton

Seahawks.com Writer

The Seahawks celebrated the win vs. the 49ers at Levi's Stadium in Week 18.

Santa Clara—Sitting at his locker with an empty cigar box, the cigars that he bought for the team for when they won, Seahawks center Jalen Sundell was asked about the run game and said, "I think everything's just clicking for us."

And everything was clicking on Saturday for the running backs and the offensive line.

In the past two games, Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet both have had a 100-yard rushing game each. And on Saturday, the two back combined for 171 yards on 33 carries, averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Walker had 97 yards on 16 carries and Charbonnet had 74 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown. Walker also surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on Saturday.

"I think everything's just clicking for us," Sundell said. "I mean, we're all bought in to the scheme that we're trying to do. The more reps that we've been getting, the better we've been getting. We've been working in practice and trying to get better and making an intentional thing to try and get better every week. We don't stop trying to get better just because it's the middle of the season."

For the third straight game, and for the fourth time this season, Seattle converted on a third-and-15 plus on the ground, making them the only team to complete that feat this season. Charbonnet did it last week against the Panthers and Walker did it in Week 16 against the Rams. In Week 2 against the Steelers, Walker had a 19-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal. And on Saturday, Walker had a 19 yard run on a third-and-17.

"I feel like that's demoralizing on defenses," Walker said.

There have been four RB rushes this season for first downs on 3rd-and-15 or longer

All by #seahawks
— Mike Sando (@SandoNFL) January 4, 2026

"That's huge," receiver Cooper Kupp said on the conversion." It's awesome. And you get some of those opportunities and K9 (Kenneth Walker III) and Charbs (Zach Charbonnet) have done a great job in those positions of being able to convert. The way that they run, the way that they accelerate through blocks and through contact, it's incredible."

"It was great to start the game the way we did with the run game," head coach Mike Macdonald said. "Now we want to shoot for a four-quarter run game."

He added, "I think it's just that gradual attack. We know who we are and what our core competencies are, and we just keep attacking it. The offensive coaches hear from me every once in a while, and they've been great, solving problems and keeping the attack going."

And with the run game being as successful as it was, the Seahawks were able to run nearly eight minutes off the clock in the fourth quarter, forcing San Francisco to use all three timeouts, before they got the ball back and just before the two-minute warning.

"It was a fun drive," Jaxon Smith-Njigba said. "The whole game was fun, but coming up in clutch moments, K-9 coming up long third down and us having a long possession was key for our success today. And something that we talk about every single day, just taking care of the ball, moving the ball forward."

Kupp said, "Being able to take eight minutes off the clock, being able to get timeouts. I think we took all three of the niners timeouts to that point. Obviously, you want to finish, that would have been awesome to be able to get that done. But yeah, obviously a huge thing when you're able to sustain a long drive like that up to scores in the fourth quarter."

Seattle's defense gave the offense praise for working the clock the way they did.

"That shows that when we need to put the game away, the offense is capable of doing it," Uchenna Nwosu said. "When defense gives them the ball back, they're able to go down there and put the game away for us, so that's huge."

Of their 23 first downs, the Seahawks were able to gain 10 of them on the ground.

"Those boys can ball," Nick Emmanwori said. "The O-line was busting their ass out there. They made plays all night. The Niners couldn't stop the run game, so if they can't stop it, you have to keep running the ball."

Derick Hall added, "Those guys did an amazing job today. The offensive line, the running backs, Sam (Darnold controlling the offense, operating the offense. Time of possession was crazy. The way those guys played, the things they go out and do on a daily basis, is starting to show and they're doing a great job for us."