The Seattle Seahawks had 44 yards rushing in the 33-31 loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 3 on Sept. 27 at Northwest Stadium. Sam Darnold and the Seahawks’ passing game carried the offense against Washington but fell short of securing the win.
Nonetheless, the Seahawks’ inability to get their run game going concerns former NFL offensive lineman Terron Armstead. During a Sept. 27 appearance on “CBS Sports HQ,” Armstead said this loss to the Commanders was the first game in which Seattle is feeling the departure of Kenneth Walker III.
“The Seattle Seahawks offense is one-dimensional,” Armstead said. “The Commanders came out and completely eliminated the run. So when you do that, when you make an offense and are able to dictate what they do offensively, you’re able to pin your ears back as pass rushers. You’re watching the quarterback from the back end as the DBs.
“They had Jadarian Price and Emanuel Wilson. The Seahawks offense combined for 44 rushing yards. That’s not a winning recipe. You got the Super Bowl MVP in Kansas City. That’s where my mind went. The biggest miss for this Seattle Seahawks offense is Kenneth Walker III in Kansas City.”
Seahawks Can’t Lean Solely on Their Passing Game
Walker left Seattle this past offseason to sign a three-year, $43.05 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. Moreover, entering Week 3, Walker has played 113 snaps for Kansas City, earning a 90.4 overall PFF grade.
The Chiefs star has carried the ball 47 times for 290 rushing yards and one touchdown. Walker has also averaged 6.2 yards per attempt on the ground while forcing 23 missed tackles as a runner.
Meanwhile, in the passing game, Walker has caught nine passes on 13 targets for 79 receiving yards and one touchdown as he’s been impressive running and catching the football.
“Sam Darnold was able to get a lot of yards passing [against the Commanders], but that’s not their identity,” Armstead added. “It hasn’t been their identity. They’re trying to find it.”
Mike Macdonald on Loss to the Commanders
After the loss, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald spoke to the media and shared his thoughts on the game, while also giving credit to the Commanders for their defensive performance.
“It was a tough game,” Macdonald told reporters postgame. “I think our guys played really hard, stuck together. Hats off to Washington. I thought they played a great game. Had a great plan. Plus, they’re minus-three in the takeaway department. But the NFL, what wins games is great situational football, taking care of the rock, playing complementary football and stacking plays, and we didn’t do those things today, and they did. So, credit to them.
“But I think the message to our guys is just that when we play great Seahawk football, we should expect to win games. With all the things that we kind of lost, the miniature, the inside battles of the game, it’s still a two-point game, and we can be better situationally to take advantage of that and try to close the game out. But tough game, great game by them, and we’ll move forward.”
Seahawks Get Blunt Kenneth Walker III Message After Week 3 Loss