Shaun Alexander enters the Ring of Honor Sunday

Sunday afternoon the Seattle Seahawks will host the Arizona Cardinals in a battle of teams fighting to stay out of last place in the NFC West. The game itself may not end up meaning a whole lot to either team when it comes to the final standings, but it will be a memorable game for many fans for an entirely different reason.

Yes, running back Shaun Alexander, who is the franchise record holder in just about every major statistical category, will be inducted into the Ring of Honor. The career franchise records he holds include:

• Rushing Attempts: 2,176
• Rushing Yards: 9,429
• Rushing Touchdowns: 100
• Longest Rush: 88 yards
• Rushing Yards per Game: 79.2
• Most 1,000 Yard Seasons: 5

He also holds both of the top two spots for most rushing yards in a single season in franchise history with 1,696 yards in 2004 and 1,880 yards in 2005, and five of the top six seasons for a Seahawks running back in terms of rushing touchdowns belong to Alexander. Those include 14 touchdowns in each of 2001 and 2003, 16 in both of 2002 and 2004 and a then-NFL record 27 in 2005.

Younger fans remember how great Chris Carson and Marshawn Lynch were for the Seahawks over the last dozen years, but even their best seasons pale in comparison to Alexander’s monster 2005 campaign. Here are Alexander’s stats from that season compared to the most prolific season for each of Carson and Lynch:

Chris Carson (2019): 278 attempts, 1,230 yards, 7 TD, 4.4 yards per carry
Marshawn Lynch (2012): 315 attempts, 1,590 yards, 11 TD, 5.0 yards per carry
Shaun Alexander (2005): 370 attempts, 1,880 yards, 27 TD, 5.1 yards per carry

Just to put into perspective how out of this world Alexander’s 2005 season was, here is how it compares to the six-game stretch at the end of 2021 when Rashaad Penny was effectively unstoppable.

Rashaad Penny (final 6 games of 2021): 706 yards, 6 TD
Rashaad Penny (final 6 of 2021 projected over 16 games): 1,883 yards, 16 TD
Shaun Alexander (2005): 1,880 yards, 27 TD

Basically, how unstoppable Penny was during the tail end of the 2021 season is effectively how unstoppable Alexander was for the duration of the 2005 season. To put into perspective just how much production he packed into that single season, here’s a simple comparison of what he was able to do that year in the 19 regular and postseason games in which he played to what Penny has done during every regular season and postseason game in which he has played during his five years with the Hawks.

A big congratulations to Alexander on making the Ring of Honor, and Sunday will certainly be a memorable day for him and for many fans, regardless of the final outcome of the game.