It’s Kenneth Walker Time for the rest of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run.
Coach Mike Macdonald said on his weekly show with KIRO-AM radio Monday second running back Zach Charbonnet has a “significant” knee injury that will require season-ending surgery.
Charbonnet was injured in the first half of Seattle’s 41-6 victory over San Francisco in the divisional playoffs Saturday night.
That win got the top-seeded Seahawks into the NFC championship game for the first time since January 2015. They will host the rival Los Angeles Rams Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at Lumen Field for a spot in Super Bowl 60 Feb. 8.
“The bummer is ‘Charbs,’” Macdonald said Monday morning on KIRO’s “Brock and Salk Show.” “He’s got a significant knee injury, unfortunately. Breaks your heart.
“So, he’s going to need surgery. He’s going to be our for…he’s got a good, long road to come back. But, our heart goes out to him, prayers go out to ‘Charbs.’”
Charbonnet had five carries for 20 yards including a 15-yard burst before he got hurt in the first half Saturday night. The third-year running back had three rushing touchdowns in the previous two games before Saturday. That included his second career 100-yard rushing day, 110 yards on 18 carries with two TDs running outside-zone plays in week 17 at Carolina.
Charbonnet has one season beyond this one remaining on his rookie contract.
Walker had Seattle’s featured running-back role to himself for the first time this season Saturday against the 49ers. And he romped. He gained 119 yards on 16 carries. Walker joined Shaun Alexander from 2004 as the only Seahawks to rush for three touchdowns in a postseason game.
Walker and Seattle’s running game has been rolling the last four games, with season-high totals in yards. The Seahawks need it even more with Pro Bowl quarterback Sam Darnold playing through an oblique injury.
This is the final season of Walker’s contract. He’s got another prime chance to state his case for a new deal, from Seattle or any other team, Sunday. It’s the first conference title game of his career, in front of the football world.
With George Holani still on injured reserve, the Seahawks’ options at number-two running back behind Walker are fifth-year veteran Velus Jones, called up from the practice squad for the 49ers game Saturday, and former Rams starting running back Cam Akers. Akers is also on the practice squad.
Macdonald said Holani may come back off IR to practice to perhaps play in the NFC championship. “George is an option, yeah,” Macdonald said Monday afternoon. “We’ll see how it goes this week…
“Probably hear from that over the next few days.”
This story was originally published January 19, 2026 at 10:34 AM.
Gregg Bell
The News Tribune
Gregg Bell is the Seahawks and NFL writer for The News Tribune. He is a two-time Washington state sportswriter of the year, voted by the National Sports Media Association in January 2023 and January 2019. He started covering the NFL in 2002 as the Oakland Raiders beat writer for The Sacramento Bee. The Ohio native began covering the Seahawks in their first Super Bowl season of 2005. In a prior life he graduated from West Point and served as a tactical intelligence officer in the U.S. Army, so he may ask you to drop and give him 10.
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