The Seattle Seahawks enter Monday Night Football’s Week 8 date versus the Houston Texans with the fifth-ranked scoring offense. Klint Kubiak’s unit continues humming along, scoring 27.7 points per contest. Another showing in that vein would help the Seahawks improve to 5-2 with a victory over the Texans.
We’ve identified three potential X-factors for the Seahawks offense on MNF.
Kenneth Walker III, RB
If there’s been one criticism of Kubiak’s offense, it’s his committment to utilizing Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet in a timeshare. Walker averaged 3.4 yards per carry last week, and Charbonnet was a plodder at 2.0 YPC. Will the Seahawks finally start leaning on their supposed bellcow?
AJ Barner, TE
Sophomore tight end AJ Barner continues to make a huge impact on offense. After scoring a combined three touchdowns versus the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Barner had a career-high 71 receiving yards in the Week 6 victory over the Jaguars. He’s continuing to establish himself as one of Sam Darnold’s go-to targets.
Cooper Kupp, WR
Mike Macdonald recently referred to veteran wide receiver Cooper Kupp as a “force multiplier” on offense. Kupp hasn’t been overly productive, but his presence has been huge for a young supporting cast of playmakers. We’ll see if he’s more involved versus the Texans in primetime.