What’s wrong with Seahawks’ running game?

SEATTLE — The Seattle Seahawks’ running game just can’t get off the ground.

For the second week in a row, the Seahawks ran too rarely (22 times) and for not enough yards (86) on Sunday.

It’s becoming an area of serious concern as of late.

“We’ve hit a little bit of a wall, it appears,” coach Mike Holmgren said after the Seahawks were held to double-digit rushing totals for the second week in a row in a 26-7 loss to Philadelphia.

The only run that generated much excitement Sunday came when Maurice Morris broke off a 28-yarder in the third quarter. But Morris finished the game with just 43 rushing yards — the most of any Seahawk on Sunday — on eight carries. Starting halfback Julius Jones had 10 carries for 41 yards.

Jones, who has just 191 total rushing yards in the past five games after rushing for 267 in the previous two, said he cannot figure out what’s gone wrong.

“I can’t really put my finger on it,” he said. “It’s tough, really tough.”

Guard Floyd Womack said that the inability to sustain a running game is hurting the entire offense.

“It’s not a one-dimensional game,” he said. “You just can’t run the ball all the time, and you just can’t throw the ball all the time. You’ve got to be able to do them both. If you can’t do one of them, it’s not good at all.”

The Seahawks, who were among the NFL leaders in rushing through three games (166.3 yards per game), now rank 12th in the league at a clip of 114.3.

Weaver sits: Fullback Leonard Weaver didn’t get a chance to follow up on his impressive performance against San Francisco.

Weaver, who scored two long touchdowns against the 49ers eight days ago, suited up for Sunday’s game against Philadelphia but did not play. He was sidelined by a foot injury that kept him out of practices all last week.

Rookie Owen Schmitt started in Weaver’s place and made an immediate impact. Schmitt impeded blitzing linebacker Stewart Bradley on the Seahawks’ first offensive play, allowing Seattle quarterback Seneca Wallace to complete a 90-yard touchdown pass to Koren Robinson.

“I was super stoked on the play,” Schmitt said. “If you watch the tape, that’s probably the fastest I’ve ever run, just to get down the field and congratulate Koren.”

Schmitt didn’t get many more opportunities in blitz pickup, as the Eagles were less aggressive than usual. He also was on the wrong end of a lopsided score, but Schmitt enjoyed the experience nonetheless.

“It was pretty cool,” said Schmitt, a rookie fifth-round pick from West Virginia. “It was like my first real experience playing fullback. It was fun. I got to go out and hit some guys.”

The coaching mind: Holmgren made several questionable decisions on Sunday afternoon, but he did not shy away from any of them after the game.

The most notable game-changer came early in the third quarter, when Holmgren passed up a 51-yard field goal attempt with the team trailing 17-7.

Holmgren explained that special teams coach Bruce DeHaven gives him a limit for field goal attempts before each game, and that Sunday’s elements pushed 51 yards beyond kicker Olindo Mare’s range. The attempt would have been into a brisk wind.

The Seahawks lined up in an offensive formation on fourth-and-10, but two subsequent penalties forced the team to punt.

A few minutes earlier, as the team was on its way into halftime, Holmgren called a draw play with the clock running down and the Seahawks out of timeouts. Quarterback Seneca Wallace further complicated things when he followed the second-down play with a clock-stopping spike of the ball. That left Seattle with a fourth down, a few yards out of field-goal range.

Holmgren also got burned using his replay challenges. He challenged a Philadelphia completion that was eventually upheld, resulting in a Seattle timeout. A few minutes later, after Seahawks receiver Keary Colbert made a diving catch in the end zone but lost the ball when he hit the turf, Holmgren did not call for a challenge. He explained that the call would not have been reversed because NFL rules dictate that a ball that comes loose upon the player hitting the turf is automatically called incomplete.

Stop the bleeding: The Seahawks’ 2007 defense allowed just 247 points through its first 15 games, putting itself in position to challenge the team record for fewest points allowed in a season — a 44-41 loss to Atlanta in Week 17 ended that run.

This year’s defense is going the opposite direction, having given up 210 points at the midway point. The most points allowed in a season is 429, which happened in 1976. Seattle’s current defense is on pace to give up the second-most points in franchise history.

In five of their first eight games this season, the Seahawks have given up 26 points or more.

Paydirt: The Eagles took the lead for good late in the second quarter on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Donovan McNabb to starting guard Todd Herremans, who lined up as an eligible receiver on the play.

It was the first touchdown reception by a Philadelphia lineman since 1934.

“We ran it in practice on Friday, and we had a lot of fun with it,” McNabb said. “I told him that if we get a certain type of defense, you will be wide open. I came out on the fake, and they jumped our main guys, and Todd broke free and his eyes got about as big as a Seahawk.

“He looked at me and he knew it was coming,” McNabb said, “and the only thing he could do was to secure the catch.”

Record day: Philadelphia tight end Brent Celek made the most of his opportunity to start in place of the injured L.J. Smith, catching six passes for 131 yards. The 131 receiving yards in a game is a team record for a tight end.

As good as ever: Seattle defenders were thoroughly impressed with McNabb, who started slowly but finished with 28 completions in 43 passes for 349 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

McNabb missed on his first seven passes and 10 of his first 13, but then completed 13 passes in a row to help the Eagles take control.

“He is unbelievable,” Seattle linebacker Julian Peterson said. “Everybody forgets about him because he has been hurt the last couple of years, but he is still one of the best quarterbacks in the game. He kind of showed that today even though we were able to get some pressure on him.”

Quick slants: The Seahawks had more punts (11) than first downs (10) on Sunday. … The Eagles had 147 yards after the catch, accounting for nearly half their 347 passing yards. … Seattle defensive tackle Red Bryant missed most of the second half due to an ankle injury. Linebacker David Hawthorne strained his right calf. … Injuries to Weaver, linebacker Lofa Tatupu and defensive end Patrick Kerney meant that 14 Seahawks starters have now missed a game due to injury this season. Six of those starters are wide receivers (Bobby Engram, Nate Burleson, Logan Payne, Deion Branch, Koren Robinson and Billy McMullen).