Seahawks’ running game rounding into form as they pursue No. 1 seed

For everything that's gone right for the Seattle Seahawks during a season in which they've become one of the NFL's top teams, their rushing attack has been an Achilles’ heel much of the year.

That has started to change over the last two games, both of them victories, including Sunday’s 27-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers that inched Seattle closer to clinching the NFC’s top seed in the playoffs. Seattle can secure the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed with a win or tie against the San Francisco 49ers next Saturday.

Zach Charbonnet ran for a season-high 110 yards and the Seahawks collectively rushed for 163 yards on 35 carries Sunday.

"It was probably Zach’s best game as a Seahawk I would imagine,” said coach Mike Macdonald. “Definitely in the last two years.”

His assessment could also be extended to the Seahawks’ rushing performance as a team.

It was Seattle’s third-most rushing yards in a game this season, which came on the heels of a standout performance on the ground in the Seahawks’ previous game. In a thrilling 38-37 overtime victory against the Los Angeles Rams, the Seahawks totaled 171 yards rushing.

Considering how pass-happy the Seahawks have been, and reliant on the NFL’s leading receiver in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, it’s a welcome development on quarterback Sam Darnold’s end. Same goes for Macdonald, especially considering Seattle's season finale against the 49ers is so critical.

“It’s right where we want to be at this point,” Macdonald said. “We have to keep going. San Francisco has a good run defense. Go put a great plan together, and let’s rock and roll.”

Smith-Njigba continues to prove that even as defenses hone in on him, he is completely capable of remaining a factor in games. Smith-Njigba, who leads the NFL in yards receiving, caught nine passes for 72 yards on Sunday.

Even so, Smith-Njigba conceded he faced his fair share of challenges going up against the likes of cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson.

“It was a good battle,” Smith-Njigba said. “Two respected corners — great defense. They fly around on the ball. It was a battle today. They had some good plays, we had some good plays, it was fun.”

Darnold and the Seahawks continue to have challenges when turning to their secondary receiving options. Aside from Smith-Njigba and tight end AJ Barner, who had three receptions for 43 yards, no Seahawks player had more than 12 receiving yards Sunday.

Wideout Cooper Kupp was limited to a season-low six yards on one catch. He and Rashid Shaheed, who had one catch for eight yards, were the only two Seahawks receivers besides Smith-Njigba with receptions.

Julian Love has seemingly put his nagging hamstring injury behind him. The safety had six tackles Sunday after racking up eight against the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 18. Love, who has only suited up for seven games, posted pedestrian numbers with two total tackles in his first two games back from injury.

But the last two weeks, Love has returned to form, and at an opportune time for the Seahawks’ stingy defense.

Darnold’s ball security issues reared their head again Sunday. The Seahawks quarterback had two fumbles, one of which was recovered by Carolina. On the season, Darnold has 10 fumbles, six of which were recovered by the Seahawks’ opponents.

Shaheed (concussion) and fellow WR Cody White (groin) were each injured in the first half of Sunday’s game and did not return.

3 — Including the 2025 season, the Seahawks have won 13 games in a season three times. Seattle also won 13 games in 2013 and 2005, seasons that ended with the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Seattle won its only NFL title in the 2014 Super Bowl.

The Seahawks close out the regular season with a road game against the 49ers on Saturday.

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Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet scores against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet scores against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald watches during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

Seattle Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet celebrates after scoring against the Carolina Panthers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Two men who died after their helicopters collided midair in New Jersey over the weekend both earned their private pilot licenses over a decade ago and would often have breakfast together at a cafe near the crash site before taking to the skies from the local airport.

Authorities on Monday identified the two New Jersey men as Kenneth Kirsch, 65, and Michael Greenberg, 71. Witnesses told police that the two helicopters they were piloting Sunday were flying close together just before they crashed in a farm field near the airport in Hammonton, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) southeast of Philadelphia.

Hammonton Police Chief Kevin Friel said in a statement that Kirsch, of Carney’s Point, was pronounced dead at an area hospital after being flown there, while Greenberg, of Sewell, died at the crash site.

Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board were examining the accident site on Monday and determined the debris field is about 100 yards (91 meters) long and contains parts of the main rotors and tail rotors, a spokesperson said. Both helicopters are expected to be removed from the site Tuesday and taken to another location for further review.

A preliminary report is expected in about 30 days, the NTSB said.

Friel said rescuers responded to a report of an aviation crash at about 11:25 a.m. Sunday. Video from the scene shows a helicopter spinning rapidly to the ground. Police and fire crews subsequently extinguished flames that engulfed one of the helicopters.

The Federal Aviation Administration described the crash as a midair collision between an Enstrom F-28A helicopter and Enstrom 280C helicopter near Hammonton Municipal Airport. Only the pilots were on board.

Kirsch and Greenberg both received their private pilot licenses in 2014, FAA records show. They often stopped at the Apron Cafe next to the airport for breakfast before flying, said the restaurant's owner, Sal Silipino.

Silipino said Kirsch and Greenberg ate at the cafe shortly before the crash. Patrons watched the helicopters take off from the airport and were stunned when the aircraft fell from the sky, he said.

“It was shocking. Still shaking to see that happen,” Silipino said. “They were just at our café having breakfast. They’re regulars. They come in every week or every other week. They fly in together. They seem to be very nice people. They were also very kind to the workers and staff and all.”

He said the helicopters' flights appeared to begin without incident.

“I saw one go down and then I saw the other one go down and there was little bit of disbelief. It’s like, is that really happening?," Silipino said.

FAA records show Kirsch was the registered owner of one of the helicopters, while the other aircraft was registered to M&M Charter LLC of Mountville, Pennsylvania. Contact information for M&M Charter could not be immediately found Monday.

Hammonton resident Dan Dameshek told NBC10 that he was leaving a gym when he heard a loud snap and saw two helicopters spinning out of control.

“Immediately, the first helicopter went from right side up to upside down and started rapidly spinning, falling out of the air,” Dameshek told the TV station. “And then it looked like the second helicopter was OK for a second, and then it sounded like another snap or something ... and then that helicopter started rapidly spinning out of the air.”

Hammonton is a town of about 15,000 people located in Atlantic County in the southern part of New Jersey. The town has a history of agriculture and is located near the Pine Barrens, a forested wilderness area that covers more than 1 million acres (405,000 hectares).

Investigators will likely first look to review any communications between the two pilots and whether they were able to see each other, said Alan Diehl, a former crash investigator for the FAA and NTSB.

“Virtually all midair collisions are a failure to what they call ‘see and avoid,’” Diehl said. “Clearly they’ll be looking at the out-of-cockpit views of the two aircraft and seeing if one pilot was approaching from the blind side.”

Although it was mostly cloudy at the time of the crash, winds were light and visibility was good, according to the weather forecasting company AccuWeather.

Debris from a helicopter is shown after two helicopters crashed in Hammonton, N.J., on Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (WPVI-TV/6ABC via AP)