The Seattle Seahawks season is sadly done before it is officially over. The team knows it has no path to the playoffs for the second straight season and for the third time in four seasons. Seattle still has a relatively young roster, but changes will need to be made this offseason in hopes 2025 is better.
That brings into question whether Seattle should sit some players simply because the game is meaningless. We might also see some long-term starters sit for parts of the game because head coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider want to see if they want to keep a player who hasn't gotten a chance to do much.
One of the things the Seahawks might want to see is how good quarterback Sam Howell is in offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb. In his limited time in Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers, Howell was awful. Maybe he looked so bad simply because he was forced into action in a blowout when the Packers knew they would just be rushing the passer.
Seattle Seahawks final injury report for the meaningless Week 18 game
The Los Angeles Rams, Seattle's Week 18 opponent, will rest a bunch of their starters. Los Angeles has earned a place in the playoffs so they have nothing to lose with a loss to the Seahawks. A 12s favorite team should win simply because the Rams won't be playing their best.
If Seattle does get the victory, they will reach double-digit wins for the first time since 2020. This is important because this is Macdonald's first year as a head coach, and the experience will only do him good in the future. He could have fallen flat, but instead, he has the defense playing well and only needs the offense to be better next season for the team to be really dangerous.
Most importantly, though, there is probably no reason to risk a potentially important player in 2025 to injury in the final game of 2024. A catastrophic injury this late in the season might mean the player misses a bunch of next year and that might not be worth it. Still, going 10-7 looks a lot better than 9-8 (again).
Seahawks final injury report designations for Week 18:
- Right tackle Abraham Lucas (abdomen) - Out
- Cornerback Josh Jobe (knee) - Out
- Defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (back) - Questionable