The Seahawks are on a roll, having won four games in a row (scoring 29+ points in each contest) as they’ve improved to 8-5 on the season. But they’ll have to finish the rest of the regular season — and a likely postseason run — without the help of rookie running back Thomas Rawls, who suffered a fractured ankle today and will miss the remainder of the season, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link).
Rawls is a devastating loss for a Seattle offense that has been without fellow running back Marshawn Lynch for the better part of a month. Filling in for the veteran, Rawls, an undrafted free agent, has been exceptional, rushing for nearly 400 yards during from Week 11 to 13. He’d been stellar subbing for Lynch earlier in the season as well, as reflected by the rookie’s season totals: 141 carries, 786 yards, and four touchdowns.
Carroll told reporters that Rawls might not require surgery, but that obviously makes no difference as to whether he’ll be available again this season. And while for the time being it appears as though veterans Fred Jackson and DuJuan Harris will form some sort of backfield committee, Carroll did add that the team might look for help via free agency (Twitter link via Condotta).
Of course, the wild card in this scenario is Lynch, who is said to be recovering well from sports hernia surgery. Lynch is apparently back at the team facility, and just this morning we heard that he’s “progressing.” Still, with Seattle all but having locked up a wild card spot, it probably doesn’t make sense for the club to push Lynch to return, even with the injury to Rawls. But whether or not Lynch can get back in time for the playoffs could have huge implications on the Seahawks’ postseason chances.
Rawls is way more effective than Lynch, even if Lunch were healthy, I’d rather have Rawls in there with Lynch as his backup. This is a devastating blow to Seattle’s offensive drive capabilities. We have nothing in the backfield now.
They still scored 35 points without Rawls
No need to rush Lynch back next week against Cleveland but hopefully he’ll be back in 2 weeks against the Rams. This is a huge loss but they’ll be ok with a healthy Lynch.