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Wind and rain and no Jeremy Lane may trouble the Seahawks today

By Todd Vandenberg

GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 01: Jeremy Lane #20 of the Seattle Seahawks runs with the ball against the New England Patriots as he makes an interception in the first quarter during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - FEBRUARY 01: Jeremy Lane #20 of the Seattle Seahawks runs with the ball against the New England Patriots as he makes an interception in the first quarter during Super Bowl XLIX at University of Phoenix Stadium on February 1, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Seattle listed cornerback Jeremy Lane as questionable for today’s game versus San Francisco. That and stormy weather could spell problems for the Seahawks.

Jeremy Lane was a late addition to the injury list for the Seahawks Saturday. It really shouldn’t be that big a surprise, as he’s battled injuries all season. The only reason he’s still in Seattle is his failed physical with the Houston Texans, after all. If Lane can’t go, expect Justin Coleman to man the left corner.

When the Seahawks move to nickel, Neiko Thorpe will likely be the next man in. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Coleman grades out significantly better than Lane, according to Pro Football Focus. The question mark is Thorpe. He too grades out higher than Lane, but that’s based on six plays. Not exactly a significant number.

Gotta love all these injuries on defense

It seems like Lane is the 23rd member of the Legion of Boom to miss time, right? Of course he already has, so I suppose that makes him just the 22nd. The Seahawks could have moved to their big nickel package by sliding Bradley McDougald to the the slot. Of course Kam Chancellor is out, so unless defensive coordinator Kris Richard wants to put Tedric Thompson out there with Earl Thomas, we aren’t likely to see that.

It’s a shame, as the 49ers biggest weapon by far is the 230 pound Carlos Hyde. I’d be much happier with McDougald coming up to stop Hyde than Coleman. Bradley has about 20 pounds on Justin, and every pound helps when you’re hitting a truck head on.

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The weather won’t help the Seahawks either

The forecast at kickoff is for light wind and rain. Luckily the wind isn’t expected to get above seven mph, so it shouldn’t affect passes that much. Some website predict gusts of up to 22 mph, though, so don’t be surprised if a few passes go awry. If the majority of forecasts hold true, that’s a plus for both quarterbacks. But as the Seahawks depend so heavily on Russell Wilson, it’s even bigger for Seattle.

For what it’s worth, Wilson hasn’t been at his best in the rain this season. Kevin Pelton of The Fabulous Peltoncast compiled the numbers for Wilson’s home games. On rainy days, DangeRuss completes seven percent fewer passes and throw for almost one full yard less per attempt. Then again, most quarterbacks are worse in the rain.

With a near 50 percent chance of rain throughout the game, that could impact players making cuts, especially on defense as they often have to react more quickly than on the planned cuts by offensive players. Again, this helps the 49ers and Carlos Hyde more, as the Seahawks can’t seem to muster a ground game without seventh round draft picks and practice squad players. Not a knock on Carson and Davis, just bemoaning that the players really getting paid to get it done have been no-shows all year.

Despite the weather and the juggling of the Legion of Boom again, I expect Seattle will weather this minor storm.

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