Seattle’s running game has been pretty awful for most of the season. Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls on Sunday combined for 12 carries and minus-1 yard. For the season, Lacy is averaging 2.6 per attempt, while Rawls is down at 2.0. But there’s at least a flicker of hope there could be some viable production in the second half of the season.
An article in today’s edition of The Seattle Times says the team will abandon its committee approach this week. Lacy will be given a chance to carry more of a full workload, and they’re hoping that some continuity will help him get going.
“I don’t feel like we have been in a rhythm,” says Pete Carroll. “I think I’ve held them back a little bit by spreading it around quite a bit and trying to figure that out. So as we zero in the second half (of the season) hopefully we are going to make some headway.”
The ground game also could be helped by the trade for Duane Brown. They’re plugging him in at left tackle.
I can’t promise that Lacy will put up top-20 numbers this week, but it’s possible. There aren’t a lot of productive running backs out there right now.
And while Seattle’s running game has been sporadic (at best) the last two years, it’s best games have tended to come at home. They ran for 194 yards in a Sunday night win over the Colts earlier in the year; Lacy ran well in the fourth quarter of that game. And Rawls’ two big games last year both came at Century Link: 161 yards in a playoff win over the Lions, and 106 yards in about a half against Carolina.
Lacy definitely should be rostered in typical fantasy leagues. I think he’ll be a top-25 back this week. If things break right and they get things going (like they hope to do) he could put up top-15 numbers.
—Ian Allan