Is Kenny McIntosh’s season upon us and the Seattle Seahawks facing playoff elimination?
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Is Kenny McIntosh’s season upon us and the Seattle Seahawks facing playoff elimination?

Posted on by Amelia Pressman

The Seattle Seahawks no longer have their destiny in their own hands and need a win to keep their fading playoff hopes alive. They hope to have at least one of their best running backs available for Thursday night’s crucial road game against the Chicago Bears.

But even if Ken Walker III and/or Zach Charbonnet suit up for Seattle, neither player will be anywhere near 100 percent, as Walker suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s loss to Minnesota and Charbonnet has been with Oblique for the past two weeks the injury report and elbow problems. While coach Mike Macdonald was more optimistic that the latter would be able to play, he only recorded one carry against the Vikings and just four days between games put his health in question.

With Walker and Charbonnet both injured, the Seahawks may have to turn to Kenny McIntosh to take on a larger role out of the backfield in the biggest game of the season so far.

Just a few weeks ago, McIntosh had seen limited action in Seattle’s offense, scoring just four times in the first 12 games. But after Walker tweaked his calf in a win over the New York Jets, the second-year returnee from Georgia saw his first extended stint as a Charbonnet in Arizona, when he ran a career-high seven times in a big NFC West road win scored from 38 yards.

Over the last two weeks, McIntosh continued to see a handful of snaps on offense, rushing six times for 23 yards and catching a 15-yard pass from Geno Smith against the Vikings. With those opportunities over the past three games, according to Pro Football Focus, he has produced two missed tackles and 46 yards after contact while moving the chains for four first downs, making the most of his first big chance to play after the had taken most of his rookie year off due to a knee injury.

Pushing McIntosh into the starting lineup in the heat of a playoff race may seem like too big a stage for a back with just 17 career appearances, but he excelled in big games at Georgia in college, including rushing for 50 yards in a national tournament championship win over TCU two years ago. If anything, he’ll probably relish the chance to be thrown into such a pressure cooker after playing against the top competition in the SEC.

In a new episode of Locked On Seahawks, hosts Corbin Smith and Rob Rang take a look at and examine the first injury report of a short week for Seattle and why McIntosh could be an X-factor to keep an eye on at Soldier Field The Seahawks’ surprising advantage could be on offense against Chicago’s maligned defensive front, breaking down five other key matchups to watch in prime time the day after Christmas.

Listen to the latest Locked On Seahawks in full here or subscribe for free on the podcast platform of your choice here.

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Keep following Corbin Smith X and Bluesky, where he shares the latest Seattle Seahawks news and talks to fans.

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