Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price produced in a Seahawks win over the Arizona Cardinals as Seattle improved its run game in the second time they played together this season.
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The Seattle Seahawks got a boost from their backfield in Sunday’s 17-3 win over the Arizona Cardinals, with running backs Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price showing growth in their second game playing together this season.
Charbonnet, in just his second game of 2026 after recovering from an ACL injury, led Seattle with a team-high 77 rushing yards on 16 carries. “Super happy for Zach,” receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said. “Everyone has seen the work and all the grit it takes for him to get back on the field. He played great today. We're going to need him throughout the remainder of the season. So, happy for him today.”
Cooper Kupp also praised Charbonnet’s return, saying, “Just pumped for Zach, really. Just looked great. And so I'm excited for him, the confidence that's going to continue to build for him coming back from what he's coming back from. And yeah, it was really good to see.”
Charbonnet added to Seattle’s late-game control by running the ball to help manage the final moments with a lead. Tight end AJ Barner said, “That's huge. To have him do that, to break tackles like that, that's what you want in your running back. To get him back out there, obviously, we all felt that.”
Price, playing in his fifth game on Sunday, contributed as a runner and receiver. He ran for 24 yards on nine carries and finished with four receptions for a team-high 54 receiving yards. “That's something that I've worked on. I've built the trust from the coaches and the players. It's really just the coaches giving me more opportunities and me being able to show what I can do in games.”
Head coach Mike Macdonald said Price’s presence affected how the Cardinals defended Seattle. “I thought he was decisive with his runs,” Macdonald said of Price. “Sometimes he's the primary in some of those pass concepts. Sometimes he's kind of at the end of the progression and when the ball finds him, if you can make a guy miss, it's a great example. It doesn't have to be some extraordinary play to create explosives, but let's just be efficient with our decision making and get it in our player's hands and let him do the rest. So again, he's another example. I think he's just going to continue to get better now that he's kind of stacking weeks and he's getting healthier, that'll help us.”
Seattle’s early offensive work featured Price and Charbonnet carrying the load. On a first-quarter drive, the pair gained 53 of the team’s 55 offensive yards over 11 plays after Barner scored a one-yard rushing touchdown to put the Seahawks ahead.
Barner went on to add a receiving touchdown later in the game, the first time in his career he recorded both a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game. Macdonald praised Barner’s role, saying, “Proud of AJ. I think we love him and we trust him and we understand what type of player he is. So we can kind of feel the frustration with him of what he expects from himself. But just no flinch, just keep attacking it. And he's a leader on our offense and he provides so much great energy. So when he's on his game, it really helps our offense. And so for him to have that production is really cool to get into some of those short yard situations where we can run the sneak is kind of energize the group and then to put the ball away in the red zone when they take Jacks away, to have another option down there is really helpful.”
Smith-Njigba said Barner’s versatility was a key part of Seattle’s plan, calling him, “one of the best tight ends in the world,” and adding, “So we have to use him. You know, he can do it. He can do it all. So his versatility is something that's very special and something that we have to use throughout the remainder of the season.”
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