6. Carroll wants to see the team build off of the success it found in the running game during the second half.
With the Seahawks trailing by two touchdowns and struggling to get going on offense, they went run-heavy to start the third quarter, with Alex Collins leading a touchdown drive to open the third quarter. And by the time the game was over, Collins had become Seattle’s first 100-yard rusher since Chris Carson in Week 15 of the 2019 season, and the Seahawks had a season-best 144 rushing yards. If the Seahawks are going to find success, particularly with Russell Wilson out, Carroll knows the offense needs to build off of that successful run-game performance.
“We have to do that,” Carroll said. “That’s going to make the difference in this turn right here. Its going to make a big difference, in all phases. It affects everything about our game. This is nothing new; we’re not recreating the wheel here. We’ve been able to demonstrate how you play football in that style. It just hasn’t quite caught on yet. Last night was really obvious. It’s couldn’t have been more obvious how well our guys could come off the football up front, how efficient we could be, how many points you could score, and also how you can be explosive. They had two explosive plays, we had six or something like that. We did a lot of good things. It’s not three yards and a cloud of dust—everything else fits off of it. The keepers, play actions, all of that. You saw the big play we hit to Gerald (Everett) it was a huge play in that game. Unfortunately, we were play passing on the last play when we got banged and lost the football. It’s just makes our style come to life. It felt awesome to see our guys play like that. We’re going to go for it. This is a really good time for us to focus. Geno (Smith) will benefit from that as well at the quarterback spot, like we’ve been saying. We love playing that way.”
Carroll said he saw similarities to the 2011 season when, heading into a midseason game against Dallas, the Seahawks decided to commit to Marshawn Lynch and the running game, a move players and coaches later credited with not just turning the season around but with setting the tone for future success in the following years.
“I really do feel that,” Carroll said when asked if it felt similar. “I think you’re right on point. It couldn’t have been more obvious. Shane (Waldron) jumped right on it and did a great job to adjust, and we were talking about it all night, on the plane and on the bus. Everything about how it fits together and how it felt and all that kind of stuff and how we want to build from it. It was a good turn for us, and we’re maybe not too late. Let’s go.”
