It’s the kind of consistency no NFL team is looking for. In back-to-back seasons, the Seattle Seahawks have finished a dismal 28th in the league in rushing yards per game. In their last 34 contests dating back to 2023, the ‘Hawks have been limited to fewer than 100 yards on the ground in more than half (18) of those outings.
Head coach Mike Macdonald and the organization appear determined to change that in 2025 via their newest play-caller. “It’s entirely new, so pretty much everything,” said right tackle Abraham Lucas in early June (via John Boyle of Seahawks.com) regarding new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and his staff, with the emphasis being on “just downhill, running off the ball, establishing the run.”
“I know we got a lot of criticism for that,” explained Lucas, “so moving into this year, we’re looking to really get after it in the run game, specifically…When you get a new staff in—I mean, everybody wants to run the ball—but when you come in and it’s a non-negotiable like, ‘We’re running the ball. We put a fullback in the backfield. We’re changing it up. We’re doing things differently.’”
Dec 22, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III (9) rushes against the Minnesota Vikings during the first quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
“It’s like an old-school mentality with a new-school principle…,” added Lucas. “We’re going to be elite at the run game. That’s the philosophy with it. It’s not some hodgepodge of a bunch of different stuff we’re just throwing in. We’re going to be elite at the basics to make sure that they work so we can do it against anybody.”
What’s important to note here is that the team needs to be more committed to the running game. This past season, only the New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, and Las Vegas Raiders finished with fewer total running plays than Macdonald’s club. One year earlier, Seattle ranked 31st in the league in total running plays. That’s a mindset that figures to change in a big way in 2025. As the Saints’ offensive coordinator in 2024, Kubiak saw the team finish 14th in the NFL in both rushing yards and total running plays.
