Mark Schlereth and Damien Woody explain why the Seahawks will continue their recent hot streak and beat the Cardinals on Sunday night. (0:34)

RENTON, Wash. -- Through five games, the 4-1 Seattle Seahawks have a lot going for them. The defense has played well. Russell Wilson has battled through injuries. And tight end Jimmy Graham has been a pleasant surprise.

But the area where they most need to improve is obvious: the run game. The Seahawks are averaging just 3.17 yards per carry (30th in the league) and are 29th in Football Outsiders' rushing efficiency rankings.

"Still trying to find it, in truth," said assistant head coach/offensive line Tom Cable. "Sometimes it looks OK, and then other times it doesn't look worth a damn. So we have work to do and continuing to chase it."

One of the issues is that Wilson hasn't been healthy. During his first four seasons in the NFL, Wilson averaged 38 rushing yards per game and 5.91 yards per carry. This year, he's averaging 7 rushing yards per game and 1.67 YPC.

"It's a different run game that we're using right now," said offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. "It's still part of us. It's still something that we've always had. The zone-read part of it has been used not as much, and we've gone to other styles of runs. They're fine. But some of the things that we've done in the passing game, you've seen that we get the ball out pretty quick, we're protecting the quarterback well. So that's helped me feel more comfortable, whether it's just dropping back, because it changes a lot of things.

"It changes when you're not running all the styles of runs that you can normally have. It changes some of your play-actions, some of your movement game and that kind of thing. So some of the passes that we've been using, I think of them as just extended runs a little bit because you're able to get 4, 6, 8 yards out of some of those passes."

Bevell said that teams are still respecting Wilson's ability as a runner, but the ankle and knee injuries he suffered in Weeks 1 and 3, respectively, have limited his mobility.

Russell Wilson is averaging just 1.7 yards per carry this season. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

"They're still worried about it, and they have to be," Bevell said. "You don't ever know when he's going to be healthy. And you don't know if we're sandbagging him or not either. They have to worry about all that. You've seen Russell even at the end of the game, there he was scrambling and running out to the left side for a couple yards, so he's not immobile back there. He still has the ability to move. So they have to be ready for it."

In 2010 and 2011, even when the Seahawks had Marshawn Lynch, they ranked 28th and 14th in rushing efficiency, per Football Outsiders.

With four full years of Wilson, they've finished first twice, third and seventh.

Wilson said Thursday that his personal physical therapist is still treating him during the week, an indication that he still has work to do before he feels fully healthy. Given that that's the case, the Seahawks' best hope for jump-starting the run game in the short term is improved offensive line play.

Cable said first-round pick Germain Ifedi was "really inconsistent" and "very erratic" last week at right guard. He said right tackle Garry Gilliam has "just been too inconsistent in terms of the strength and power running the football."

Asked to assess the run blocking overall, Cable said, "It's just really, I think, hitting combinations. Putting your helmet where it needs to be based on the run call and things like that consistently."

If Wilson's health continues to improve, his legs will help the run game. But if the injuries are something he might have to deal with for most or all of the season, Bevell could rely on the short passing game even more.

"You'd like to get them both," Cable said. "That's really what we're chasing here is to find that balance that makes us really dangerous, more explosive. Explosive plays have been OK, but I think that's the one element that will tie the whole thing together, and I think we'll be pretty tough."