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THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Some new questions emerge in this run

| December 10, 2024 1:20 AM

Surprise.

The Seahawks have handed us a new question.

The old one was simple and obvious: Can they make the playoffs by winning the NFC West?

Just so we’re on the same page, let’s go with an updated answer to that first question.

Yes.

It’s clear now that they can win the West, although the schedule coming up will make it a challenge.

The Hawks play Green Bay (9-4) next Sunday night at Lumen Field, then host Minnesota (11-2) the following week.

They finish the regular season on the road, facing the Bears (4-9) and then the Rams (7-6).

That finale could very decide the division title, with the caveat that to win the division, that Seattle would need either a victory over the Rams and/or simply a better record.

If the teams end up tied, the Rams could slip into the top spot with a tiebreaker advantage.

In any event, the question we’ve been fiddling with for a few weeks now has an obvious answer.

The Seahawks lead the pack at 8-5 so they can, indeed, win the NFC West.

That brings us to the next possibility.

Could the Hawks actually do some damage in the postseason?


I HATE to cop out on this question.

Hell, I hate dodging ANY question.

But here’s the thing: We really need to see what happens against the Packers and Vikings to get a true feel for the Seahawks’ chances going forward.

There’s no question Mike Macdonald has turned this team around, but most of the wins have come against average (or just plain poor) teams.

The defense looks solid now that Macdonald has jettisoned linebackers Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker and replaced them with Ernest Jones IV (acquired from Tennessee for Baker) and rookie Tyrice Knight.

Edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu has finally come back off the injured list, and played a few snaps on Sunday at Arizona.

The offense has been strengthened with Olu Oluwatimi now locked in at center and rookie Sataoa Laumea installed at right guard.

What might be coming into critical focus is the Hawks’ ability to run the ball.

With No. 1 running back Kenneth Walker III sidelined with multiple leg injuries, sturdy backup Zach Charbonnet went crazy in Sunday’s 30-18 victory over Arizona, running for 134 yards and adding 59 as a receiver.

Kenny McIntosh backed up Walker and tacked on some slashing runs of his own to keep the electricity going.

So, was there something about THOSE running backs that juiced the Hawks?

Charbonnet is a 225-pound, take-no-prisoners runner who punishes defenders — but he also showed a flash of speed on a 51-yard touchdown run.

With real enthusiasm concerning the line, you have to wonder how Macdonald and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb are looking at the running back situation.

Might Charbonnet be in line to take over the lead dog job, or at least split the No. 1 role with Walker?


NO ONE is confusing either Seahawks back with, say, Saquon Barkley or Josh Jacobs.

But both are legit NFL backs, drafted by Seattle in back-to-back years — and now the staff is taking a long look at them with new concepts installed and new offensive linemen in front of them.

Just a week before Charbonnet’s breakthrough game in Arizona, Seahawks broadcaster Ray Roberts made a surprising statement in an interview for Seattle Sports radio.

Roberts is an outright character, a former lineman himself who played for the Hawks and Detroit in the 1990s.

He’s also willing to speak his mind.

For instance, Roberts claimed that the offensive line was coming together, and that they suggest a bruising style of running attack.

The Seahawks, Ray said, want to play smashmouth football.

To do it, though, they need complementary backs.

“You want to have this physical, powerful running game, but you have a scatback,” said Roberts, referring to third-year running back Walker.

“You have a guy that wants to cut things back and make people miss and make big plays, which is all great.

“Love that he can do that, but it doesn’t quite mesh with how they want to run the football.”

Just a few days after Roberts basically announced that Walker didn’t fit the Seahawks, Charbonnet bashed his way through and over the Cardinals.

Almost every decision-maker in the NFL will tell you that teams have to run the ball in the postseason, especially when the weather turns ugly in January.

There’s an obvious bottom line here, no?

The Hawks have a big decision coming.


Email: scameron@cdapress.com


Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”