The Seattle Seahawks were dealt a brutal blow on Saturday when it was announced running back Kenneth Walker III was ruled OUT. Seattle will have to compete in the Week 14 rematch without their best ball carrier. With Walker no longer active, filling his place is rookie running back George Holani, who was elevated off the practice squad.
Holani turned plenty of heads this preseason, when he rumbled his way to 66 total yards on 17 carries in his three games. He even managed to find the end zone twice, including the first touchdown of the exhibition season for the Seahawks. The question now shifts to Week 14 – can Holani make an impact for a Seattle offense struggling to run the ball?
The Seahawks have not had more than 285 total yards of offense in four of their last five games, and are really struggling getting anything going on the ground. The main culprit of this problem is of course Seattle’s atrocious offensive line. Surely backup Zach Charbonnet will get the lion’s share of carries in Walker’s absence, and I would not be surprised if third-stringer Kenny McIntosh gets some looks as well.
However, I don’t think Holani should be ignored from the game plan. He has only suited up in one game this year, a Week 2 road trip to play the New England Patriots. The Seahawks, at times this year under Ryan Grubb, have abandoned the run far too early. Yes, they struggle to get things going on the ground, but there are other times where they move off the run when they do not have to do so. Perhaps Holani can provide a bit of a spark to a Seahawks team that are underdogs for an eighth-straight week.
