The Seattle Seahawks are gearing up to face the winless Carolina Panthers this Sunday at Lumen Field. However, their opponents might be without their rookie quarterback, Bryce Young, who was listed on Wednesday's injury report. In addition, the Panthers are facing injury concerns on defense, with outside linebackers Brian Burns and Justin Houston being limited during Wednesday's practice. The absence of linebacker staple Shaq Thompson, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in Monday's loss, further complicates matters for Carolina.
Currently standing at 1-1, the Seahawks suffered a defeat against division rival Los Angeles Rams in Week 1. However, they bounced back with a road win against the resurgent Detroit Lions last week. Seattle has seen contributions from various players on both sides of the ball, but the key to their Week 3 victory lies with one individual.
Kenneth Walker III, one of last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year nominees, has been heavily involved in the Seahawks' offense this season. In the Week 1 loss, Walker carried the ball 12 times for 64 yards. Walker pulled off two touchdowns in their most recent Week 2 win over Detroit.
“Some of his exciting runs were the ones where he’s bouncing outside and making guys miss and picking up and extra four or five yards,” Bumpus said during Tuesday’s Bump and Stacy. “I’m looking at the guard play. Because most of those runs are zone. So all zone is, look at that offensive line, let’s say it’s zone right, everybody is stepping right."
"Say the 1-tech, the guy who’s in between the center and the right guard, is there. The center downblocks him, the right guard puts his hand on the shoulder, he climbs up to the next level, and then you attack the second level."
It's clear that Walker's success hinges on the performance of the offensive line in executing the zone plays. As the Seahawks prepare to face the Panthers, they must ensure that their offensive line provides the necessary support for Walker to break through and make game-changing plays.
