RENTON — There was always something blocking Rashaad Penny from matching the potential that came with being a first-round pick.
Sometimes it was his teammates and the Seattle Seahawks often choosing to go with another option. More often, it was injuries — a finger, a bad hamstring, a balky calf muscle or a major knee reconstruction.
All that made what Penny accomplished Sunday against Houston that much sweeter, rushing for a career-high 137 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-13 win that kept Seattle’s slim playoff hopes alive for another week.
“These guys never gave up on me,” Penny said. “Go out to practice every day and just keep working and this is the results. I’m just thankful.”
Penny’s big day was part of Seattle’s mostly dominant performance and a second straight victory.
And at least on the offensive side, it was a blueprint of what Pete Carroll has been seeking all season — a excellent run game, punctuated by big plays through the air by Russell Wilson and specifically Tyler Lockett.
It’s entirely possible this was a one-week aberration. The Seahawks were facing the 32nd-ranked run defense in the league. They had to be able to run the ball against the Texans.
But it’s one of the first times this season there’s real optimism where Seattle is headed offensively.
“I don’t think we’ve played better than we played yesterday in terms of the mix and all that,” Carroll said. “Russell was 115 [passer rating], so I thought the way we were able to mix, everybody benefited from that, and the balance of the attack and execution on third down made everybody better.”
What’s working
For the second straight week, the Seahawks shut out their opponent in the second half. Shutting down San Francisco last week was far more impressive than shutting out the Texans. But it’s still a notable accomplishment for a defense that couldn’t slow anyone early in the season.
Seattle has gone eight straight games and nine of the last 10 holding opponents to 23 points or fewer.
Stock up
Lockett continues to feel like one of the more underappreciated wide receivers in the NFL. He became the second player in Seahawks history with three straight seasons with 1,000 yards receiving after catching five passes for 142 yards on Sunday. Lockett joined Hall of Famer Steve Largent as the only two Seattle players to accomplish that feat.
What’s next
The reality of Seattle’s playoff hopes likely comes down to Sunday’s game at the Rams. A loss would be seemingly insurmountable with three weeks remaining and such a logjam for the final couple of wild-card spots in the NFC. A win should keep Seattle at worst one game back with home games against lowly Chicago and Detroit the following two weeks.
