Coach Mike Macdonald has faith the Seattle Seahawks are going to get their ground game going.
The Seahawks have lost four of five after a 3-0 start and hope to shift the season back in their favor on Sunday at home against their NFC West rival, the Los Angeles Rams. A key to putting the season back on track is clearly the running game.
Seattle has the league’s No. 1 passing offense, led by veteran quarterback Geno Smith. But rushing-wise, the Seahawks are managing an average of just 89.3 yards on the ground per game. Only four teams in the league have lower averages.
The Seahawks fell at home 31-10 last weekend to the Buffalo Bills, which dropped the team into a first-place tie in the NFC West. Seattle rushed for a season-low 32 yards against Buffalo, with Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet rushing 12 times for 16 yards.
Walker is the team's top rusher with 315 yards on 74 carries and six touchdowns.
“We’re going to get it figured out. I mean, we’re going to be a good run team, going to have an efficient offense," Macdonald said. “I do feel like I’m a little bit of a broken record every week, but I do feel optimistic talking to the coaches and watching the tape.”
The Rams (3-4) played at home last Thursday, beating Minnesota 30-20.
The Rams' run defense is ranked 23rd in the NFL, allowing an average of 139.1 yards a game. They’ve allowed six rushing touchdowns. Overall, the Rams are allowing opponents 351.7 total yards a game.
“We’re going to get this thing rolling," Macdonald said hopefully. "I think once you complement getting the run game going with all the other mechanisms we have in our offense and our system and all of our skill guys and the way Geno’s throwing the ball, I think that could be a really potent attack.”
As for the Seahawks' defense against the run, the Bills had 164 rushing yards on 34 attempts for an average of 4.8 yards per carry. James Cook had 17 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Overall the Seahawks ranked 29th in the league against the run, with an average of 148.4 yards allowed. They'll be challenged by Rams running back Kyren Williams, who has eight rushing touchdowns.
Ernest rides again
The Rams raised eyebrows in late August when they abruptly traded Ernest Jones, their leading tackler and defensive signal-caller, to Tennessee for a mere late-round pick upgrade in 2026 after failed negotiations on a contract extension for the fourth-year pro. Jones made 44 tackles in six games with the struggling Titans before they shipped him to Seattle for Jerome Baker and a fourth-round pick — much more than Los Angeles got for a key member of its Super Bowl championship team.
Jones made a whopping 15 tackles in his Seahawks debut last week, and now he’ll face the team that gave up on him instead of allowing him to play out his rookie contract.
Coach Sean McVay’s replacements at inside linebacker are not at Jones’ level, and the coach essentially acknowledged it this week: “I think all the decisions that we make in the moment, we feel like are in the best interest. I’m not going to pretend to act like every decision is accurate, and you try to be able to learn from it and apply it moving forward.”
DK back?
Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf didn't practice on Thursday, but there were still hopes he could return Sunday from an MCL sprain that kept him out of the game against the Bills. Metcalf ranks eighth in the NFL with 568 receiving yards on 35 catches, for an average of 16.2 yards per reception, 11th most in the league.
Seattle was also optimistic about defensive end Dre’Mont Jones, who hurt his shoulder in the game. Tackle George Fant, who returned to practice last week after a knee injury in the first week of the season, could also play. But tackle Abraham Lucas, recovering for offseason knee surgery, won't be available.
Healthier Rams
Los Angeles got an enormous boost last Thursday from the returns of top receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, who combined for 12 catches for 157 yards and a TD in Matthew Stafford’s first four-TD game of the season.
The Rams are unlikely to get a similar boost from injury returns this weekend after their extra time off. Starting offensive linemen Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson are still at least another week away, although backup lineman Joe Noteboom could be available for the first time since Week 1 to help a rushing attack ranked in the league’s bottom third despite another strong season from Kyren Williams. Los Angeles also hopes to have safety Kam Curl, who was limited in practice by a knee injury.
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AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham in Los Angeles and AP freelance writer Shane Lantz in Seattle contributed to this report.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL
Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press
