Seahawks RBs key second-half surge in win over Broncos

It was a tale of two halves for the Seattle Seahawks on offense during Sunday’s victory over the Denver Broncos.

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The first half was a forgettable one for the Seahawks. They made mistakes with turnovers and penalties and never found any sort of rhythm. But the second half was a different story, and the run game had a lot to do with Seattle securing a 26-20 victory in its first game under head coach Mike Macdonald.

Despite getting just 22 rushing yards on nine carries from running backs in the second half, the Seahawks and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb came out in the second half and showed a strong commitment to the run game. They were rewarded by third-year pro Kenneth Walker III.

Walker helped Seattle take control over the final 30 minutes with positive play after positive play on the ground. The Michigan State product gained 84 yards on 13 carries after the break and provided his lone touchdown.

Walker scored when he took a handoff up the middle, bounced it outside and leapt into the end zone for a 23-yard TD run that put the Seahawks ahead 16-13 early in the third quarter.

All aboard the K9 train 🚂 pic.twitter.com/dCv6sT9IWr

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 8, 2024

“Oh definitely,” Walker said when asked if running the ball was a point of emphasis in the second half. “We talked about it, Grubb and the O-line knew too, and they had great blocks and made it easier for me. O-line, tight ends, wide receivers, they made my job easier for me.”

Eleven of Walker’s 13 carries went for positive yardage in the second half, including seven of at least five yards.

“He was definitely electric. I got to give a lot of credit to him and the O-line up front,” running back Zach Charbonnet said. “Kenneth, he’s a playmaker, and that’s what he did. He kind of brought sparks to the offense in the second half.”

Walker also had a solid block during quarterback Geno Smith’s 33-yard TD run in the first half.

“It felt good,” Walker said with a smile. “I didn’t even know he was scoring.”

Smith had praise for Grubb’s decision to stick with Walker and the run game in the second half.

“Obviously, when you start out the way that we started out that first quarter and then that first half, a lot of coordinators would say, ‘Let’s just pass it.’ And I thought Grubb trusted our O-line,” Smith said. “I thought the O-line did a great job settling down and then really took over the game. I thought K-9, Ken Walker, was a beast today. He really set the tone for us. And then Zach (Charbonnet) got in there, he did his thing.

“Once the run game opened up, it allowed us to get into some of our tempo stuff and then start to pass the ball. And then you started to see our offense really come alive.”

Charbonnet adds in the passing game

Charbonnet finished with just 12 yards on eight carries, but he also came up with the touchdown reception that was ultimately the difference in the game.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Charbonnet leaked out of the backfield on a wheel route and got wide open behind the defense for a 30-yard TD grab to go up 26-13.

OH HELLO, @zachcharbon! pic.twitter.com/4sdw4kZ0wk

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 8, 2024

“Yeah, it’s a great feeling,” Charbonnet said of being left open. “I hope they do that more times than not. So definitely was a great one, and Geno put it on me great.”

More on the Seattle Seahawks’ season opener

• ‘We didn’t flinch’: Seahawks defense makes opening statement
• Seattle Seahawks have O-line injury trouble after Week 1 win

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