Chris Carson did the best he could facing a stacked box

When the Seattle Seahawks hired Brian Schottenheimer prior to the 2018 season, one of the things the team set to do was to re-establish the run. Having ridden on the back of Marshawn Lynch to two NFC championships and a Super Bowl victory over the Denver Broncos, Pete Carroll wanted his Seahawks to get back to the style of football he preferred. Schottenheimer specifically stated that one important aspect of establishing the run is the ability to run the ball when the opponent knows a run play is coming.

In the two years since, Seattle has been one of the most run-oriented offenses in the NFL, and have been helped to the playoffs in each of the past two seasons by the physical and bruising nature of running back Chris Carson. While Carson has struggled with fumbles and injuries during his three years in the league, one thing he has excelled at is creating something out of nothing. In particular, during 2019, Carson was one of the best in the league at making defenders miss while facing a stacked box.

With Carlos Hyde now in the fold and Rashaad Penny returning from a knee injury, the running back room could develop into a nasty one-two-three punch of Carson, Hyde and Penny in 2020. However, with opposing defenses likely continue to stack the box against the Seahawks offense, it's no wonder Carson remained the starter in spite of his issues holding on to the ball.