Zach Charbonnet sidelined for the rest of the playoffs due to knee injury

Seahawks Star Running Back Out for Playoffs

The Seattle Seahawks recently secured a convincing victory over their NFC West adversaries, the San Francisco 49ers, in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. However, they’ve hit a significant snag as they prepare for the NFC Championship Game.

Running back Zach Charbonnet will miss the upcoming crucial game against the Los Angeles Rams, which could ultimately determine their Super Bowl ambitions. Late in the season, Charbonnet sustained a “significant” knee injury that has now been reported as a torn ACL, which occurred during their 41-6 rout of the 49ers.

Head coach Mike McDonald confirmed that Charbonnet will not play for the remainder of the playoffs. This is a considerable blow, especially given the dynamic duo the Seahawks have utilized in their backfield throughout the season.

Charbonnet, alongside Kenneth Walker III, has formed one of the most effective running back tandems in the league. In fact, Charbonnet led the team with 12 rushing touchdowns during the regular season.

While McDonald didn’t dive into specifics about the injury, he mentioned that Charbonnet is looking at a “long road to return.” This could imply that he might even miss all of next season. Together, Charbonnet and Walker powered the NFL’s 10th-best rushing team this season, combining for 2,096 rushing yards. Walker contributed 1,027 of those yards, while Charbonnet was often relied on by offensive coordinator Clint Kubiak in crucial situations.

After Charbonnet’s early exit in the recent win at Lumen Field, Walker took charge and performed admirably, scoring three points and amassing 116 yards on 19 carries—helping the Seahawks keep their playoff hopes alive. He also celebrated his first playoff victory, aided by quarterback Sam Darnold’s three receptions for 29 yards.

Now, the Seahawks are preparing to lean on Walker once more as they face the Rams for the third time this season.

Charbonnet, a second-round pick out of UCLA, wrapped up his third season in the NFL with personal bests of 730 rushing yards on 184 carries, along with his highest touchdown total yet.