‘Business As Usual’ For Seahawks Vs. Patriots With Offensive Star Injured

The Seattle Seahawks might not have one of their main offensive threats in Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.

Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III missed his second straight practice Thursday due to an oblique injury, making it a very real possibility that he won’t be available for the Week 2 matchup.

The Seahawks relied on Walker to carry the ball 20 times for 103 yards and a touchdown during their season-opening win over the Denver Broncos. According to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, Walker didn’t get a carry over the final 10:50 of that game.

But the Seahawks don’t appear to be sweating over the thought of not having Walker. That might be because they have a very capable backup in Zach Charbonnet. Charbonnet rushed for just eight yards on 12 carries but did turn in a 30-yard touchdown reception, which proved to be the game-decider against the Broncos.

“I think Charb has a lot of the same skill sets,” Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb told reporters Thursday, per Condotta. “He’s an excellent receiver out of the backfield. He’s a very, very capable pass protector and obviously a very powerful runner. So I don’t think there’s anything in the game plan that would change if Ken was unavailable. So for us, it is business as usual.”

Walker missed two games last season due to an oblique injury and and Seattle lost both contests, albeit against two of the top teams in the league in the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys.

While Walker was the most notable Seahawks player to not practice Thursday, he wasn’t the only one. Tackle George Fant (knee), linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (knee) and tight end Pharaoh Brown (foot) were also absent from practice.

The Patriots defense, which mostly bottled up Cincinnati’s run game, will look to take advantage if Walker is out and try to improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2019. Kickoff between the Patriots and Seahawks from Gillette Stadium is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.