The Seattle Seahawks running game will be without Chris Carson for the rest of the season due to a neck injury, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters on Friday.
Carroll added that while Carson is expected to undergo neck surgery and spend the rest of the year on injured reserve, he is confident the running back will be back next year.
“We went as long as we could, he worked as hard as he could at it,” Carroll said Friday. “This is the best choice we got. We’re gonna afford him to get all that taken care of and be ready for a big year next year.”
Pete Carroll announces Chris Carson will have neck surgery and is out for the year. But the hope is he’ll return to play next season. pic.twitter.com/IWnmVXQAjt
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) November 19, 2021
Carson’s season comes to an end after recording 232 yards and a team-leading three rushing touchdowns on 54 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per attempt. He also caught six passes for 29 yards.
With Carson sidelined, Seattle has turned to Alex Collins to pick up the slack in his absence.
Collins paces the team in rushing yards with 345 yards and is second in rushing scores with two.
Outside of Collins, there’s a pretty steep drop-off in production, with quarterback Russell Wilson the next most effective option on the ground with 100 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.
Rashaad Penny, DeeJay Dallas and Travis Homer make up the rest of Seattle’s depth at the running back position.
The Cardinals take on the Seahawks in Seattle at 2:25 p.m. on Sunday. Catch all the action on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.