Seattle Seahawks fans have long held Marshawn Lynch in legendary status, and for good reason. But on a crisp Saturday night at Levi's Stadium, another name started echoing through the halls of Seahawks history—Zach Charbonnet. In a pivotal NFC West championship showdown against the San Francisco 49ers on January 3, 2026, Charbonnet delivered a performance that’s got the 12s buzzing, and perhaps, just perhaps, eyeing a new chapter in the franchise’s storied running back lore.
Let’s set the scene: the stakes couldn’t be higher. A win for the Seahawks means the NFC’s road to Super Bowl LX will go through Lumen Field, a fortress for Seattle and a nightmare for visiting teams. With the 49ers standing in their way, every play was loaded with meaning, and every yard hard-earned. Yet, it was Charbonnet who seized the moment late in the first quarter, bursting through the line for a 27-yard touchdown run that put Seattle up 7-0 and sent a strong message to their rivals from the Bay.
That touchdown wasn’t just another score—it was Charbonnet’s 12th rushing touchdown of the season. For context, no Seahawk has hit that mark since Marshawn Lynch rumbled to 13 touchdowns back in 2014, the year Seattle made its second consecutive Super Bowl appearance. Now, Charbonnet stands just one shy of matching that iconic record. Talk about making history in real time!
“First of the night. No stopping @zachcharbon,” the Seahawks’ official account posted, capturing the excitement that swept through fans both in the stadium and glued to ESPN/ABC broadcasts across the nation. The play itself was a thing of beauty: Charbonnet took the handoff, followed a crushing block from left tackle Josh Jones—stepping up for the injured Charles Cross—cut left, and left 49ers safety Malik Mustapha grasping at air with a juke at the 10-yard line before cruising into the end zone. It was a statement run, the kind that gets replayed for years in highlight reels and fan montages.
But Charbonnet wasn’t doing it alone. The Seahawks’ backfield, a source of both excitement and frustration for fans this season due to head coach Mike Macdonald’s timeshare approach, was firing on all cylinders. Charbonnet and his running mate Kenneth Walker combined for an impressive 88 yards on just 12 carries in the first quarter alone. That’s efficiency, that’s power, and that’s the kind of production that keeps defenses guessing and coordinators up at night.
Coach Macdonald’s strategy of splitting carries between Charbonnet and Walker hasn’t always been met with universal approval. Early in the season, some fans grumbled about the lack of a true feature back, longing for the days when Lynch would carry the load and the offense with it. But as the season wore on, and both backs stayed healthy and fresh, the wisdom of the approach became clear. Now, with everything on the line, the Seahawks’ ground game is peaking at just the right time.
“At times this season, head coach Mike Macdonald’s running back timeshare between Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker has frustrated fans. But late in the season—with both healthy and productive—it continues to pay dividends,” as reported by Sports Illustrated. The numbers don’t lie, and neither do the results. With both runners available and effective, Seattle’s offense can attack in waves, wearing down even the stoutest defenses.
Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing in the early going. Seattle’s opening drive was a marathon—12 plays, methodical and promising—only to stall out at the 4th-and-goal line. Quarterback Sam Darnold, who has stepped into the starting role with poise, fired a pass towards wide receiver Cooper Kupp, but the connection fell incomplete. A missed opportunity, sure, but the Seahawks regrouped quickly. On their very next possession, Charbonnet’s touchdown run erased any lingering doubts and put Seattle firmly in control of the momentum.
Special teams had their hiccup, too. On Seattle’s third possession, kicker Jason Myers lined up for a 47-yard field goal attempt, looking to extend the lead. The ball sailed wide right, a reminder that in games of this magnitude, every point is precious and every mistake magnified. Still, the Seahawks’ defense held strong, and the 7-0 lead remained intact early in the second quarter.
Looking back, the parallels to 2014 are impossible to ignore. That year, Marshawn Lynch was the engine that drove Seattle to back-to-back Super Bowls, his bruising style and larger-than-life persona defining an era. Now, a new generation of Seahawks is writing its own story. Charbonnet’s blend of power, vision, and agility has given fans flashbacks to the Beast Mode days, and with each touchdown, he’s etching his name a little deeper into the team’s record books.
There’s something poetic about the way this season has unfolded. Injuries have tested the team’s depth—Josh Jones stepping up for Charles Cross on the offensive line is just the latest example of next-man-up mentality. The quarterback situation has shifted, with Darnold guiding the offense and Kupp providing a reliable target. Through it all, the constant has been the relentless ground attack, anchored by Charbonnet and Walker.
And what about the 49ers? They’ve been a thorn in Seattle’s side for years, their own history rich with playoff runs and fierce battles. Saturday night’s clash was just the latest chapter in a rivalry that shows no signs of cooling off. With the division title, home-field advantage, and a shot at Super Bowl LX on the line, every snap felt like it could tip the balance of power in the NFC West.
As the game progressed, the tension mounted. Could Charbonnet catch Lynch’s record? Would the Seahawks’ defense hold the line? Would Darnold and Kupp find their rhythm in the passing game? These questions hung in the air as fans watched, hearts pounding, hoping to witness a defining moment in franchise history.
Whatever the final outcome, one thing is clear: Zach Charbonnet has arrived. His 12th touchdown of the season, the most by a Seahawk since the heyday of Marshawn Lynch, is more than just a statistic. It’s a signal that Seattle’s ground game is back in the spotlight, and that the team is primed for a deep playoff run—provided they can finish the job against their toughest rivals.
With the NFC West crown and the path to Super Bowl LX within reach, the Seahawks have put the rest of the league on notice. The action at Levi’s Stadium is still unfolding, but Seattle’s statement has been made loud and clear: there’s a new force in the backfield, and he’s running straight into the record books.