The Seahawks may have found their long-awaited answer to solving their 2017 run game problems. And that answer came from the unlikeliest of players in Mike Davis. The man that had been cut by San Francisco in May and has been on the Seahawks practice squad for the first ten weeks of the season. Davis showed what he could do against the Eagles run defense that has given up the fewest rushing yards in the NFL this season.
In just his second start of the season, Davis gained 64 rushing yards on 16 carries. He also played a role catching the ball with four receptions for 37 receiving yards. His 101 total yards is the most by a Seahawks running back this season.
Davis was promoted before the Atlanta game when Eddie Lacy and C.J. Prosise were dealing with injuries. He started the game, rushing for 18 yards on six carries, and added two receptions for 41 yards. He left the game early because of a groin injury, which forced him to miss the Seahawks Week 12 game against the 49ers.
The 25-year-old running back showed the talent of a featured back on Sunday against the Eagles. He is not a one-trick pony that can only run on the outside or between the tackles, but a guy that can do both. He was able to run through arm tackles at the line of scrimmage, and also showed his shiftiness in the open field. Davis showed this with one carry in the third quarter.
Mike Davis absolutely slicing up the Eagles’ defense. pic.twitter.com/pF2oeu8gzc
— Jeff Eisenband (@JeffEisenband) December 4, 2017
Davis has provided a spark that none of the Seattle running backs, excluding Chris Carson, has given the Seahawks offense this season. Head coach Pete Carroll felt that Davis was able to provide something that the Seattle offense has not had this season.
“That’s why we kind of jumped him ahead of the guys, because we thought that he had something that just kind of made him more unique than the other guys at the time,” Carroll said. “He showed it again tonight. He had some beautiful runs in the open field.”
Davis also does whatever is needed to make plays. One such play occurred in the first quarter, when Davis ran a route out of the backfield. Russell Wilson was scrambling away from pressure. Wilson directed Davis to change directions on his route, and Davis was able to beat the coverage. Wilson dumped it off to Davis for a 23-yard reception.
“Russ is amazing,” Davis said. “With Russ, you never know. I thought he was going to flip it to me from the beginning, but it’s crazy. I swear he looked me off, then threw it.”
Davis is taking advantage of the opportunity given to him. For the Seahawks, he may be the solution they have been waiting for all season. With the season winding down and the Seahawks still one game behind the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC, it is a perfect time for the Seahawks to get their run game going.
It is still too early to tell if Davis is the long-term answer for the Seahawks backfield, but Davis has the motivation to be the long-term answer.
“I’ve been waiting for the opportunity since I got drafted. I’m just grateful for the opportunity,” Davis said. “I’m fueled every week. I was on the practice squad for 10 weeks, I’ve been cut twice. So it’s always a chip on my shoulder. Like, I’m always angry.”
