UHPOG, Week 3: Chris Carson is doing all he can, people

It’s not enough, obviously, but the outcome isn’t in his hands

Chris Carson IS doing all he can. I mean, the rest of his Seahawks teammates are, too. It’s just not good enough in the second half of games, for whatever reason.

Coaches are doing all they can, presumably. And we know Russell Wilson is doing all he can, because his top-line stats are as good as ever. We can talk about sacks another day, in another column.

Fans are doing all they can. By all reports it was louder than any other game in recent memory at the Clink Lumen in Week 2.

Field Gulls writers are doing all they can to stir the pot. Actually at this point it stirs itself, with different seasonings every season to keep us from getting totally bored with disappointing starts.

Meanwhile, Carson has been explosive whenever he’s allowed to be. He’s been reliable when called upon. He’s also been invisible after halftime. Which is an abhorrent turn of events, considering:

The Seahawks have run the ball too much in the last decade, no citation needed. And now, improbably, they aren’t handing it off to Carson often enough.

CC got two carries (2!) in the second half in Minnesota. Only gained six yards, but enjoyed a success rate of 50 percent.

Against the Titans, Carson was successful on two of his four (4!) carries after halftime. While the rest of the offense stagnated, he remained a viable option.

(Success rate is defined as gaining half the yardage needed on first or second down and all the yardage needed on third or fourth.)

And then, at once inexplicably and predictably, he didn’t touch the ball in overtime. Which is a real shame, because he’s truly made his touches count. Carson isn’t getting fed, yet he’s tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns, with 3. He’s tied for the most 20-plus rushes among running backs and fifth in total yards on the ground, with 202. He’s at 4.9 yards per attempt, which isn’t a great stat, but it’s always better for it be high than low. Why yes, I would like to condense that dense paragraph into table form.

Alvin Kamara sits at 3.4 yards per carry and hasn’t found the end zone, which you will already know if you happen to employ him on your fantasy team. The unpleasantly familiar Derrick Henry has racked up 353 yards, but on twice the totes of Carson. All of which serves to draw your attention, for the third time, to the “16th in carries” portion of our program.

No wonder Chris Carson is your unheralded player of the game, or Week 3 UHPOG. Although truthfully, it could be anyone. No Seahawk is getting much heraldment so far.

Just like Chris, I’m not done.

Carson’s already broken seven tackles after logging only 10 all of last year. He’s on pace for 39 this season, which would be a career high. He’s coming off a year, 2020, where he led the entire league in success rate, at 62 percent. This year it’s… 62 percent again. He doesn’t have a drop on five targets.

To recap, Carson is getting fewer rushing attempts, but making more men miss, while also not making grave mistakes such as drops or fumbles. There’s one fumble, yes, in the Colts win. Other RBs have given it away too; one isn’t particularly meaningful at this point. Especially since it wasn’t costly.

Chris Carson, right now, is as good as he’s ever been. Now if only the Seahawks offense could just hold the ball longer than three plays at a time.