Unfortunately, Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald’s initial optimism that running back Zach Charbonnet’s injury was not serious was merely optimism. The reality is that Charbonnet, who led all Seahawks players with 12 touchdowns scored, will not play again this season.
Coach Macdonald confirmed on his weekly Seattle Sports 710 radio appearance that Charbonnet’s knee injury, which he suffered in the second quarter of Seattle’s 41-6 Divisional Round win over the San Francisco 49ers, is serious
enough to need season-ending surgery.
Charbonnet was in the middle of the best season of his career, rushing for 730 yards and the aforementioned 12 touchdowns, the most by any Seahawks running back since Marshawn Lynch in 2014. Alongside Kenneth Walker III, Seattle’s rushing attack has improved significantly over the past several weeks, with Charbonnet notably rushing for the Seahawks’ only touchdown in the Week 18 NFC West title game against the 49ers, having previously rushed for over 100 yards and two scores in Week 17 at the Carolina Panthers. Of course, the story of Seattle’s top seed can’t be told without Charbonnet’s bizarre game-tying two-point conversion against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Seahawks will now turn to Walker as the undisputed number one option at running back. Walker rushed for 116 yards and three touchdowns in a magnificent showing versus San Francisco, but after a season’s worth of splitting carries with Charbonnet, he’s going to be getting the bulk of the carries starting with this Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Seattle does have other backup options at running back on the practice squad, including Velus Jones Jr and former Rams starter Cam Akers. George Holani is still on injured reserve and there hasn’t been much of an indication that he’s nearing a return, but we’ll see on that front.
What a bummer for Charbonnet and for this Seahawks offense.
