Seahawks hobbling into week 8 matchup against the 49ers
By Lee Vowell
The Seahawks need all the healthy players they can heading into week 8 against the 49ers.
So, the bad health of the Seahawks running backs appears to be happening again in 2020. After ending 2019 by being forced to ask aged and former stars to return to Seattle (Hello! Marshawn Lynch!), the same may be needed this year. When Seattle faces the San Francisco 49ers in week 8, Seattle will have – and I swear I am not making this up – one fully healthy running back available.
DeeJay Dallas, this is your life! And Dallas might need to be really good on Sunday for Seattle to have any chance of winning.
Carlos Hyde did play pretty well in week 7 against the Cardinals, but he is now suffering my hamstring tightness and as that could flare up at any point trying to count on Hyde to be ready to play a full game may be asking too much. But even if Hyde does play, the Seahawks running back room will be Hyde and Dallas and then maybe Nick Bellore?
Starter Chris Carson sprained his foot and is going to be out. Rashaad Penny still is trying to work his way back from an ACL tear last year. Travis Homer has a bruised knee and is very unlikely to play.
The running back injury problem has many levels. Sure, one is who is going to carry the ball for the Seahawks. The second is can Seattle scheme the same kind of pass plays to backs running out of the backfield. But the third part, and this is important, is who is going to know the blocking schemes well enough to pick up blitzes and keep Russell Wilson clean. Homer did this well and his absence was felt after he left the game against Arizona.
Homer also returns kicks so Tyler Lockett might need to take over his old role of doing that on Sunday.
Other hurts
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Seattle will probably also be without safety Jamal Adams again with a groin injury. Defensive end Rasheem Green is trying to get back on the field but probably won’t until at least week 9. Seattle may simply be too injured to beat a 49ers team that has dealt with – and overcome – a lot of injuries of their own in 2020.