GLENDALE, Ariz. – For several weeks now, the Seattle Seahawks have felt like their stagnant running game is making steady progress, with signs of a potential breakthrough showing up on film even if they didn’t show up in the stats.

“There are wrinkles,” general manager John Schneider said recently, “and they’re coming.”

But even Schneider might not have expected the Seahawks’ running game to be like it was Sunday at State Farm Stadium, where Seattle exploded for a season-high 176 yards despite Kenneth Walker III not playing in the biggest game of the season.

Walker’s absence against the Arizona Cardinals due to a calf injury appeared to be a major blow to the Seahawks in a game that would go a long way toward determining the NFC West winner. But all it did was pave the way for Zach Charbonnet’s career day, which included a 51-yard touchdown run and another score in Seattle’s 30-18 win.

“Well, I thought, first of all, we had a great plan,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “Hats off to the offensive line. I thought they fought back. I think what you’re seeing is just continued progress in all of our processes and our guys are kind of getting on the same page. Hopefully that’s something – well, we’ll have to build on that in the future, but the guys did a great job.

The win kept the Seahawks (8-5) atop the division standings, and the potential emergence of their running game is another reason to believe they can stay there.

This part of their offense was a weakness for much of Ryan Grubb’s first season as coordinator. Seattle entered Sunday ranked 28th in projected rush rate (33.8%) while averaging 90.5 rushing yards per game (28th) and per carry (4.1). Her 176 rushing yards against Arizona were 30 more than her previous high, while her 5.7 yards per carry average was the best in two months.

What worked so well about Seattle’s running game?

“We just overwhelmed these guys,” tight end Pharaoh Brown said. “I mean, that’s exactly what worked. It pushed the boundaries. From that point of view, we dominated them.”

Assume the breakthrough came from their No. 2 running back carrying the load and a sore Charbonnet providing explosiveness in Walker’s absence.

Charbonnet, not known as a home run hitter, showed speed and power on his 51-yard touchdown run. He took a shotgun handoff in the second quarter, followed blocks from two of his pulling offensive linemen, broke a tackle in the second level and then ran into the end zone to give the Seahawks a 14-point lead.

Charbonnet finished the game with 134 rushing yards on 22 attempts and added 59 receiving yards in his most productive game since Seattle drafted him in the second round last year. According to ESPN Research, Charbonnet’s 91 rushing yards after contact were the most by a player this season.

Kenny McIntosh, who had played all 13 snaps this season entering Sunday, added 38 yards on seven carries.

“Zach did a great job,” Macdonald said. “We gave him a game ball. We gave the offensive line a play ball. He just ran really physical, and it’s hard to tackle that guy in the open field.”

On his long touchdown run, Charbonnet got a pancake block from pulling right guard Sataoa Laumea, a rookie sixth-round pick who entered the starting lineup last week and played well enough to stay there. Laumea is the third starter the Seahawks have used at right guard this season. They used three right tackles before Abraham Lucas returned from his knee injury in Week 11, when Olu Oluwatimi also took over the center position following the sudden retirement of Connor Williams.

Macdonald was referring to all the back-and-forth in the O-line when he mentioned how players getting on the same side helped break through the run game.

“Anytime you have continuity and can stack reps, that’s important,” Macdonald said. “Sometimes you have to make the necessary adjustments or guys go back, guys have to step up, which is what happened all season. But it was great to have two weeks in a row where the same five guys are out there and they can build on those performances.”

This continuity was also evident in Seattle’s pass blocking. This wasn’t the first time Geno Smith was sacked this season, and according to ESPN Research, he was pressured on just 17% of his dropbacks, a season low.

“I thought they played phenomenal,” Smith said of his O-line. “The way they played, we can win every game. I think our offense is getting better and better. We have some young guys out there stepping in and stepping up.”

They may also need Charbonnet to do this again. Macdonald had no idea after the game about Walker’s chances of returning this week. He was initially listed as questionable because he did not practice on Thursday or Friday. The team then downgraded him to out on Saturday but kept the same game plan.

“Ken is obviously a great defender and we would have loved to have him, but so is Zach and Kenny McIntosh has proven he can run the ball effectively as well,” Macdonald said. “So we didn’t feel like we had to make any adjustments.”

According to ESPN Analytics, the Seahawks now have a 64% chance of making the playoffs and a 62% chance of winning the NFC West, which they lead by one game over the Los Angeles Rams. After four straight wins, they’ve moved into playoff hopes at 4-5, thanks largely to a midseason turnaround in their defense that carried the team while the other half of Macdonald’s dream formula took hold.

That might finally have happened on Sunday.

“Coach talked about it — just a short tackle away,” left guard Laken Tomlinson said. “Just keep leaning, keep leaning. The running game is a softening process. But we knew, we just knew, that we were going to get these explosives when we came in.”