Carroll: Lynch should be ready to go vs Vikings

The Seattle Seahawks enter the NFL playoffs healthier, and hungrier, than ever as they prepare to play the Minnesota Vikings.

Man, was I wrong. 

I wrote extensively last week that I thought the Seahawks would play their final regular season game like it was preseason; resting players who were nursing injuries, protecting key players, accepting the 6th seed and then hitting the reset button to start the playoffs.

More from Seattle Seahawks News

• 4 prospects Seahawks could reach for at No. 20 in 2023 NFL Draft
• Seattle Seahawks Mock Draft: Post-first wave of free agency 
• Seahawks podcast: A review of the first week of free agency
• 4 experiments the Seattle Seahawks could cut short in 2023
• 3 pros and cons of Seattle Seahawks drafting Anthony Richardson

Instead they showed up looking like they had more to play for than the Cardinals, who still had a shot at getting the #1 seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The result was a resounding 36-6 win over an Arizona teams many pundits had been calling the best in the NFL in the days leading up to the game.

This was the Seattle team we saw spring to life and reel off five straight impressive wins to save their season. Now we know the truth; that the 23-17 clunker they lost at home to St. Louis was an anomaly, the outlier. The Seahawks did what they want at will against Arizona yesterday, dominating the Cardinals in all three phases.

Now it’s on to Minnesota, where they will face the NFC North Champion Vikings just a month after destroying them 38-7 on the same field. And they’ll do it as healthy as they’ve been in weeks. Pete Carroll said today that Russell Okung, J.R. Sweezy, Kam Chancellor and yes……. Marshawn Lynch should be able to practice this week with the expectation they will all be available on Sunday.

Carroll was reflective today in his press conference, heaping praise on his players, admonishing writers who were so hard on his assistant coaches when things were going so poorly, and then addressing more directly than ever the one big question that was looming over this team as the season started. He admitted that getting over the dramatic and crushing ending of the Super Bowl loss in February was something that the team had to fight hard to get through, and that it took a little longer than he had hoped. That they’ve conquered that demon and are poised to potentially make another run at it is the prevailing theme of the 2015 team.

"“We had to get through that and we did. We did it. I’m proud to say we’re still fighting, look at us now.”  Pete Carroll on overcoming disappointment of dramatic Super Bowl loss."

And if there is to be another Super Bowl run, it all begins in chilly Minnesota, where the Vikings will be playing in an outdoor playoff game for the first time since 1976 as they wait for their new indoor stadium to be completed. The current forecast according to weather.com calls for cloudy skies, with a HIGH of 6 degrees. That’s SIX. Game time temps could be closer to zero. Snow shouldn’t be a factor, as there are some scattered showers called for in the days leading up to the game but none in the current Sunday forecast.

Which means it could come down to a game of ball control, and may just pit the leagues two premier running backs against each other. The Vikings Adrian Peterson led the league in rushing with 1,485 yards and 11 TD’s, but was shut down by the Seahawks, only managing 18 yards on 8 carries in their December 6th meeting. Meanwhile, the Seahawks are looking forward to the return of Marshawn Lynch, who will be playing in his first game since undergoing abdominal surgery 6 weeks ago. How healthy he is, and how well he fits into a Russell Wilson-led Seahawks offense that’s been prolific in his absence, will likely be the key to the game. And maybe even the playoffs.

Next: 5 takeaways from win over Cardinals

The consensus point spread in Las Vegas right now has the Seahawks as a 5.5 favorite. Game time is set for 10:00am PST on NBC.