Seahawks are a much better team with Alex Collins at running back

It might have been missed, but Alex Collins was the most prolific member of the Seattle Seahawks offense in Week 4, the quarterback notwithstanding.

Collins has been stellar in every opportunity he’s received this year, and it simply has to be part of the offensive game plan moving forward to keep him involved.

On a day when starter Chris Carson accomplished next to nothing, Collins quietly had himself his biggest games as a Seahawk.

Collins finished with 44 yards on 10 carries against a stifling 49ers defensive line, a far better average than Carson. He also had two big receptions for 34 yards. His rushing touchdown was impressive and was really what solidified the difference.

As mentioned earlier, it’s the most yards (78) Collins has ever gained as a member of the Seattle Seahawks, dating all the way back to 2016. His 34 receiving yards is the third best mark of his career.

And as one Field Gulls writer pointed out, one big game took Collins past a running back who shall not be named (we’ll name him) in terms of yards gained...for two years.

Pete Carroll was not even asked about Collins; he spoke about him less than three minutes into his post-game conference:

I thought Alex Collins really gave us a spark today. He looked really good, and his touchdown run was a special run, a beautiful run. We couldn’t see it until we got a look on the scoreboard. He had a really good day in complementing with Chris [Carson], and we were able to run the ball enough so that we could play off it and take advantage.

Collins was the single best player on the field in the preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers, rivaling perhaps Darrell Taylor.

He also had - not to start anything here - 25 yards on one carry against the Tennessee Titans on a day that Carson had 31, on 13 carries.

Rashaad Penny now moves from inactive to Injured Reserve, meaning he won’t be back for three more weeks. At this point I don’t care if it’s Penny, Travis Homer, DeeJay Dallas or Poona Ford on a fullback sneak (might care about that actually), Collins should get the ball several times per game.