The Seattle Seahawks are hoping to have Marshawn Lynch back for Week 17 of the season, as the running back may be able to return to practice this week. Head coach Pete Carroll said that Lynch will try and go in practice on Wednesday and Thursday and if he is cleared, he could be in the lineup for Sunday to get some reps in before the playoffs.
Lynch has been coming back from abdominal surgery and has only played in seven games this season, but if he returns for the playoffs it may not matter how much he was active in the regular season. The Seahawks have been using a combination of Christine Michael, Bryce Brown and Fred Jackson with Lynch out and getting him back could be huge for the offense. According to the Seahawks website, Lynch should be able to return by the playoffs if he is not ready to play in Week 17.
Russell Wilson has been throwing the ball well over the past month with Lynch out and Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and Tyler Lockett have stepped up big over that time. Baldwin and Lockett will be key players for the Seahawks as they make a playoff run and Baldwin comes in after scoring 11 touchdowns in the last five games and he will try to keep that hot streak going.
Lynch now could be the most important player for the Seahawks making another Super Bowl run and that comes after some tough moments earlier in the offseason. In the offseason there were reports that the Seahawks and Lynch could not reach a contract agreement, but Pro Football Talk came out to dispel those rumors and said he likely would return. Clearly that happened and while his future could be a bit up in the air with Thomas Rawls breaking out, now the Seahawks really need Lynch to get back and step up.
The Seahawks are coming into the playoffs after a brutal Super Bowl loss and now Pete Carroll is working to get his team primed and ready for another run. All year people talked about Lynch not getting the ball at the goal line in the Super Bowl and Lynch said earlier that he was expecting the ball. Lynch mentioned that he would have been the "face of the nation" had he scored. Lynch has been as consistent as anyone in the league over the past few years and he is coming in after rushing for 1306 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, but this year he has dealt with injuries and has only rushed for 417 yards in seven games.
The Seahawks have been getting some solid production from rookies this season with Tyler Lockett and Frank Clark, with Lockett showing that he has the potential to be one of the most explosive players in the league. Clark came in with some controversy after his domestic violence issues, but he has been a good citizen all season and has three sacks for the team. Lockett has been great and he could be a key player for the Seahawks alongside Doug Baldwin. The team needs the wide receivers to step up with Lynch banged up and Lockett could be a big option for Wilson in the playoffs.
