Chris Carson has been a bit of a double-edged sword for the Seattle Seahawks this season. The third-year running back out of Oklahoma State has rushed for 853 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games in 2019, while chipping in 189 receiving yards for two additional scores.
However, he already has a career-high six fumbles on the season doubling his previous career-high in 2018. This could become a real concern moving forward despite Seattle’s 8-2 record.
The Seahawks may be a high-ranking team in the NFC right now, but they have had to fight for almost every one of their victories. Carson has contributed greatly to the team’s success and is their best running back by a country mile, but his ball security issues are still noticeable.
Coach Pete Carroll repeatedly preaches protecting the football, something the Seahawks were not able to do in their narrow overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday. Carson had a fumble himself, but he also provided 101 total yards and a touchdown in the matchup.
Carson’s issues began early, when he fumbled in each of the first three games of the season. After that, Carson did not fumble in his next five outings. He then proceeded to fumble twice against Tampa Bay in a contest Seattle escaped by the skin of its teeth with a win.
Carson has been one of the most important players on the Seahawks’ roster and is crucial to their offensive success. His positive contributions far outweigh the negative, but he must continue to work on his ball security to help his team win even more, especially with the tough schedule the Seahawks have over the final six weeks of the regular season.
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