Mike Macdonald Scouts Seahawks' Run Game As Two Stars Return

There weren't many positives to take out of the Seattle Seahawks' 34-17 loss to the Chicago Bears at Lumen Field.

But one of them was the returns of running backs Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price.

With Charbonnet getting his first taste of football since his ACL injury in last season's playoffs, and Price coming off IR after a month out, the pair naturally had some rust to shake off.

Charbonnet played more than we thought, getting 23 snaps and rushing for 23 yards on six carries, while catching three passes for six yards.

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Price managed 29 yards on 10 carries and had two receptions for eight yards while playing 30 offensive snaps.

In total, the Seattle run game didn't take off in the way some thought it could, getting just 81 yards on the ground, 20 of which came from Sam Darnold.

But what did Mike Macdonald see from Charbonnet and Price in their return to football?

"It's another example of, there's some turnover there with guys that haven't had the reps," Macdonald said. "You think of Charbs, he hasn't had a live rep since the injury, unfortunately. So, there's some good stuff. I think we can run the ball better as a unit.

"We need to be able to run the ball better. I think we can, the runners are a part of that. So, like collective effort to improve and be more effective."

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So, it will be a work in progress getting Charbonnet and Price back up to speed, and in truth, we always knew that it wasn't going to be fireworks from the pair.

Having been out for so long, just getting Charbonnet through the game unscathed was the top priority. Get him a handful of snaps to get his feet wet, and build on that as the weeks go by.

The same thing for Price, although he did have a full offseason, but while the numbers don't look good, as Macdonald said, it is an example of having two players in the game who haven't played much football of late.

So as much as anything, we can attribute the lack of run game to that, with the idea that with each passing week, the rushing attack will get better.

The big question is can the Seahawks keep themselves afloat in the playoff race while Price and Charbonnet work back to full football fitness.