Despite the win, coach Pete Carroll was not impressed with the Seattle Seahawks’ run game to open the season against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Seahawks managed just 72 net rushing yards on Sunday – much less than expected from a run-first offense.
“We didn’t run the ball well,” Carroll said after the game. “75 yards is not enough for us. We need to run the ball better than that. I felt like we’re not in command of the sticks. That’s where the play pass and everything fits together. We were behind a lot. We’ll be better.”
Chris Carson did have a rushing touchdown and a clutch run on third and 1 that contributed greatly to Seattle’s victory, but he also had his underwhelming moments and Rashaad Penny was largely neutralized.
The offensive line could not match up with the Bengals’ defensive front at times, so Carroll isn’t putting the blame solely on the running backs.
“Not as good as expected,” Carroll said Monday of the line’s efforts. “We thought we would come out more efficient than that in the run game and protection wise. Really, playing off the running game would’ve helped us quite a bit in the pass actions and stuff like that . . . Really, it wasn’t a good as we’d hoped, and we’ll do quite a bit better.”
The Seahawks travel to Pittsburgh Week 2 to face a Steelers defense that gave up 99 rushing yards to the Patriots on Sunday. If Carroll is planning to uphold the team’s run-first philosophy, Seattle will have to start by displaying a strong rushing performance at Heinz Field.
