The Seattle Seahawks were able to get the win on Monday night, but the absence of Marshawn Lynch was felt. The running back has been dealing with a hamstring injury that continues to linger and it kept him out against the Detroit Lions. Now all eyes are on his Week 5 status which remains up in the air as head coach Pete Carroll is hopeful his star running back will be good to go.
The Seahawks had a total of 110 rushing yards on Monday split between four players as rookie Thomas Rawls led the group with 48 yards off 17 carries. The Seahawks missed Lynch. The running back was ruled out of the game despite getting on the field for warmups and testing his hamstring out. Carroll told the media that Lynch was hopeful to play, but simply could not get loose enough to go.
"He wasn't quite right," Carroll said, via the team's website. "His best day was today. He ran pretty well in pregame, but they did not think he could sustain through the game and come out healthy again the next week. So we're hoping that by using patience here, that he'll be ready to go this next week."
The Seahawks are preparing to play the undefeated Bengals and need their offense firing on all cylinders which has yet to really happen this year. If Lynch were unable to play, the running attack would be Rawls and potentially Fred Jackson who suffered an ankle injury on Monday. According to the Seattle Times, x-rays on Jackson's ankle were negative, but his status for Sunday is up in the air right now. That could leave the Seahawks with some issues going forward.
The Seahawks are still working on getting their offense ironed out. The passing game continues to lack a healthy dose of Jimmy Graham. The tight end had four catches off five targets Monday night, putting up just 29 yards. That has been the story for Graham all season who admitted that he would like the ball to come his way more often. Russell Wilson appears to be favoring Jermaine Kearse and Tyler Lockett, two players he has more chemistry with.
The defensive front of Cincinnati will make running the ball very tough for the Seahawks, especially if Lynch is out against the team. Rawls has shown positive signs, but getting going against the undefeated team might be tough. This week would be a good time to use Graham more in the offense.