The Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals had their second match in three weeks, as one looked to reclaim the throne of the kings of the NFC West. Second-string running back Zach Charbonnet's performance against the Cardinals had fans ecstatic. The second-year back posted 22 rushing attempts for 131 yards and two touchdowns. However, he has a season-high in an interesting metric.
Charbonnet had 91 rushing yards after contact, marking the most in a single game this season, according to ESPN research. Against a lackluster Cardinals defense, head coach Mike MacDonald made sure to spread the love to not only Charbonnet but his protection.
“Zach did a great job,” Macdonald said via ESPN. “We gave him a game ball. Gave the offensive line a game ball. Just ran really physical, and it's tough to tackle that guy in the open field.”
His 91 yards after contact prove he's a difficult guy to tackle in the open field. Even with safety Budda Baker and linebacker Zaven Collins, the former UCLA football running back made quick work of those two. Although Arizona is middle of the pack for allowing rushing yards per game, their tackling game suffered.
Zach Charbonnet's physicality helped Seahawks dominate vs Cardinals
For the second time in three weeks, the Seahawks proved too much to handle for the Cardinals. Their physicality and toughness on both lines paid homage to MacDonald's construction and the expectations of his team. As tight end Pharaoh Brown describes it, they were simply tougher.
“We just were out-physicaling those guys,” Brown said. “I mean, that's what was working. It was moving the line of scrimmage. We were dominating them from that aspect.”
Starting running back Kenneth Walker III missed Sunday's game due to an injury. Even so, he had only 40 yards in the first meeting against Arizona. Regardless, Charbonnet picked up a starting role and proved what's necessary to dominate the ground game. Both backs are similar in their play styles and archetypes. They're shorter, more built, and likely for explosive plays.
As a result, big rushing plays are more frequent than they were under former head coach Pete Carroll. The combination of the offensive line and balanced offensive attack allowed for Arizona to have no answer.
While they exposed Arizona's lack of a defensive front, it was Charbonnet's aggressive running that made the difference. MacDonald wants to spread the love, as he should, following a divisional win. However, their dynamic running back helped pave the way to the Seahawks' eighth win of the season and sit atop the NFC West.
