HOUSTON -- Rashaad Penny has been called a lot of things in his four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. In the often-cruel world of social media, "injury-prone" and "first-round bust" have been among the tamest.

Penny has a new title after his huge day Sunday in Houston, even if it's subject to change depending on his ever-fluid health: Seattle's starter.

"I think he deserves the shot to show that, to start it out," Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Monday when asked if Penny will remain the primary option at running back. "We'll still rotate to keep guys fresh, but yeah, we're gonna give him a shot again to come right on back and see if we can keep going."

That was merely confirmation of what anyone would have expected after Penny exploded for 137 yards and two long touchdown runs on 16 carries in Seattle's 33-13 win over the Houston Texans. In only his second start since being chosen 27th overall in 2018, Penny set a career-high in rushing yards while tying his career-high with 35 snaps. That was 21 more than Alex Collins, who had been Seattle's primary back for most of the last two months.

The plan going into the game, per Carroll, was to mix Penny and Collins and see what would happen. They stuck with Penny after he ripped off runs of 9 and 13 yards on the first two plays, then broke free for a 32-yard score on the next possession. He capped the day with a 47-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that put the finishing touch on Seattle's rout.

The Seahawks' disappointing 5-8 season hasn't produced very many feel-good stories like that one.

"I'm just blessed and thankful," Penny said. "These guys never gave up on me. I go out to practice every day and just keep working, and this is the results. I'm just thankful. The O-line deserves this more than I do."

On his 710 ESPN Seattle radio show, Carroll said Penny's two long scores reminded the team of what it's like to have a "home-run hitter" at running back. According to ESPN Stats & Information, Penny joined Steve Broussard (1997) as the only players in franchise history to score two rushing touchdowns of 30-plus yards in the same game.

The 5-foot-7 Broussard was nicknamed "Bruiser" because of his hard-charging style. Penny's game has always been about finesse and speed, even at more than 220 pounds (sometimes, by his own admission, too far over that weight). So it was a welcome sight for all to see Penny charging through holes and finishing runs the way he did Sunday. He sent safety Justin Reid to the turf with a stiff-arm on his first score and blew through two tackles on his second.

Penny said he's learned by watching starting running back Chris Carson that a defensive back should never bring him down one-on-one. More recently, he's been inspired by watching highlights of Adrian Peterson, who joined Seattle's practice squad earlier this month and scored a touchdown last week.

"To be honest, I'm really not satisfied with how I played because I know what I can do and I'm pretty sure everybody else knows what I can do," Penny said. "It was just all about staying on the field for me. I'm just thankful I came out of this game injury-free."

When Penny reported to training camp in what Carroll described as the best shape of his career, the hope was that he and Carson would finally give Seattle's backfield a consistent one-two punch. After all, Penny had averaged 5.11 yards per carry over his first three seasons. That came with what's been the oft-cited qualifier with Penny: as long as he can stay healthy.

But he hurt his calf in the opener, sidelining him for the next five games. Carson suffered a season-ending neck injury, which forced Collins into the starting role. Penny made his first career start in Week 11, which brought another cruel injury twist. He ran for 18 yards on the opening play but pulled his hamstring in the process. He spent most of the rest of that game on the sideline and didn't play the following week.

All told, Penny has missed 30 of a possible 65 career games (including playoffs) due to injury. That includes a torn ACL in December 2019, just as he was starting to break out. The wildest part about it: Penny was so durable in college that when the Seahawks were scouting him ahead of the 2018 draft, they gave him the highest medical grade they had ever given a prospect.

"It sucks because I've never been through this before, so it's something new, and it's repetitive," Penny said. "And I'm doing everything right -- taking care of my body, doing all the little things. But it's just, your body tends to shut down on you sometimes and you can't control that."

During a candid postgame press conference, Penny said the all the injuries have taken such an emotional toll that he's wondered at times whether he should continue playing. All the abuse he's gotten on Twitter hasn't helped.

"At the end of the day, I'm still human and everybody else who gets hurt and goes on social media and look their names up and see what people are saying about them, it can be the worst things possible and it can tear somebody down," Penny said. "That's what it did to me a few years ago. But now, it's just like you're numb to it."

Penny's contract is up at season's end, so a strong finish could get him a few more guaranteed dollars from whatever team takes a chance on him in free agency. And while the Seahawks are only barely alive in the playoff race -- ESPN's Football Power Index gives them a 2.7% chance of qualifying -- they're still going for it.

Penny can help himself and the team over the last four games -- as long as ... well, you know the rest by now.