Seahawks rushing attack finding stride at right time

The Seattle Seahawks’ rushing attack is starting to hit its stride as the playoffs near.

Seahawks win | Instant Reaction| Box score

After struggling to get their run game untracked for much of this season, the Seahawks put up their second straight big day on the ground and rode their rushing attack to a 27-10 win Sunday over the Carolina Panthers.

Kenneth Walker III led the running game a week ago with 100 yards on 11 carries as Seattle piled up 176 rushing yards in an overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams. It was the first time the Seahawks had a 100-yard rusher since Walker ran for 105 yards in Week 2 against Pittsburgh.

This time it was Zach Charbonnet who led the way with a season-high 110 yards and two TDs on 18 carries. It was Charbonnet’s first 100-yard game this season and marked the first time the Seahawks have had a 100-yard rusher in consecutive games since Walker did so during the final three games of the 2022 season.

“It’s great, and we’ve got two really great backs,” head coach Mike Macdonald said of having different 100-yard rushers in back-to-back games, which the Seahawks hadn’t done since 2019. “It’s just like sometimes when the offense needs to pick up the defense and vice versa, it could be the same thing within a position group.”

The Seahawks finished Sunday’s contest with 163 yards on 33 carries.

HE’S OFF! @zachcharbon for 29 yards.

📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/XcH2q8HkEG

— x – Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 28, 2025

The impact of the run game was felt early and helped lead to Seattle’s only points of the first half.

With the Seahawks facing third-and-15 at their own 25-yard line, Charbonnet took a toss to left, avoided a tackle in the backfield and rumbled for a 25-yard gain and first down. Seattle eventually got to Carolina’s 30 and took a 3-0 lead on Jason Myers’ 48-yard field goal with 3:28 on the clock in the first quarter.

That scoring drive was also helped by a long run by Walker on Seattle’s previous drive. Walker weaved his way for a 16-yard gain on a third-and-30 to help the field-position battle. Michael Dickson’s 53-yard punt that followed put Carolina on its own 20, and the Seahawks got the ball back at their own 30 after forcing punt, making a 40-yard drive enough to set Myers up for a field-goal try of under 50 yards.

Charbonnet took over the game in the second half, rushing for 73 yards and both of his TDs over the final two quarters. The third-year pro punched in a 2-yard TD run in the third quarter to put Seattle up 10-3, and he accounted for all 25 yards, including a 1-yard score, on the Seahawks’ put-away drive for a lead 27-10 lead with 2:31 left in the game.

Have a day 😮‍💨 @zachcharbon's 2nd TD of the day.

📺: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/tgkDFPd6pu

— x – Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 28, 2025

“It was probably Zach’s best game as a Seahawk, I would imagine, definitely in the last two years,” Macdonald said.

The Seahawks were averaging 113 yards per game on 3.9 yards per carry before their game against the Rams. Over the past two weeks, they’re averaging 169.5 yards per game and 5.6 yards per rush.

“It’s right where we want to be at this point and we got to keep going,” Macdonald said.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Stacy Rost: Three things to know after Seattle Seahawks’ win over Panthers
• Shaheed among two Seattle Seahawks WRs injured vs. Panthers
• Seahawks cash in on defensive takeaways to beat Panthers 27-10
• Where Seahawks, Rams, 49ers stand in NFL power rankings
• How bright is Seattle Seahawks’ future? These numbers sum it up

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