CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Facing fourth-and-1 midway through the fourth quarter Sunday, Pete Carroll opted against a short field goal that would have given the Seattle Seahawks a 16-point lead, instead keeping his offense on the field to try to make it a three-score game.

With only a few inches needed for the first down and the ball at Carolina's 5-yard line, there wasn't much question that going for it was the right decision. And with Chris Carson having already run around and through the Panthers' 29th-ranked run defense on his way to the most productive game of his career, there wasn't much doubt he would pick it up.

He did, and then some. Carson shot through a hole between right tackle Germain Ifedi and tight end George Fant, then dragged linebacker Shaq Thompson into the end zone for his second touchdown in the Seahawks' 30-24 win. He finished with a career-high 133 rushing yards on 24 carries and now sits at 1,190 for the season, also a new career high.

"We try to do our job up front creating seams for him, but a lot of that is just him, man," left tackle Duane Brown said. "He's the toughest runner in the league. Guys don't want to tackle him for four quarters. He gets in the second level and he's making guys pay. That fourth down we had, that's just the epitome of what we try to be as an offense: tough-nosed, grinding, straining for every yard. You get a fourth-and-1 and you get 5 yards for a touchdown, that was big-time. So congratulations to him. We really appreciate him."

The Seahawks might end up eventually missing Rashaad Penny, who had started to give their backfield an effective secondary option behind Carson before he went down last week with a season-ending knee injury. But they were fine Sunday with Carson carrying the load like he did for a season and a half before Penny's emergence briefly made it more of a timeshare.

C.J. Prosise and rookie Travis Homer combined for 22 yards on seven carries as Carson did the heavy lifting. That started on the opening possession, when he carried four times and scored a 16-yard touchdown on another grown-man run. He got outside with a nifty cut that left cornerback Ross Cockrell grabbing air, turned the corner, then ran over safety Tre Boston as he crossed the goal line.

"He just runs through guys and makes guys miss," tight end Jacob Hollister said. "He's an incredible runner. It's been a lot of fun to watch."

According to ESPN charting, Carson is third in the NFL in average yards after first contact per rush this season at 2.21. Of his 598 rushing yards after first contact, 58 came Sunday.

"He was great tonight," Russell Wilson said. "He was making every kind of play, physical, tough against some really good linebackers and some great players on their side. He really showed up and showed out tonight."

Carson is fourth in the NFL in rushing during what has been a Pro Bowl-caliber season, his seven fumbles notwithstanding. He's topped 1,000 yards in both of his full seasons, making him the Seahawks' first running back with consecutive 1,000-yard seasons since Marshawn Lynch in 2013 and '14. And he's yet to miss a game after missing two last year and 12 as a rookie in 2017, when he broke his leg.

Those credentials will give Carson a strong argument for an extension this offseason. He'll be eligible for one and will no doubt want one after playing three seasons on a seventh-round rookie deal that only averages about $616,000. Penny's injury and his underwhelming play over his first season and a half adds another layer to that situation.

In the meantime, the Seahawks will need Carson to carry their running game like he did Sunday.

"Chris Carson did great today, which really just tells you about the guys up front," Carroll said. "The guys up front consistently have been moving the line of scrimmage. There wasn't a sweeter play than going for it on fourth down trying to get the first down and they knocked everyone in the end zone and got us a touchdown on that play. But then also with 3:12 left, we kept the football and didn't give it back to them ... which is really the guys up front getting the job done in conjunction with Chris. So that was really good stuff."