The Seattle Seahawks are hoping that Marshawn Lynch can return for the playoffs, as the running back is on his way back from abdominal surgery and could be ready for the wild card round. The Seahawks are set to play the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC playoffs and the team could be Super Bowl favorites out of the conference with how they have been playing.
Lynch has been out since Week 10 for the Seahawks and he has been rehabbing away from the team from his abdominal surgery. According to NFL.com, Lynch could be back with the team this week and potentially could resume practicing for the first time since having surgery. Head coach Pete Carroll said to the Seattle Times that he thinks Lynch should be able to return for the playoffs, but the team will not be certain of his status until he rejoins them in practice.
NFL.com reports that Lynch had the chance to come back for Week 17 against the Cardinals, but he did not make enough progress through the week to be able to suit up. Lynch has been rehabbing away from the team in the Bay Area and now the team will assess his status ahead of the NFC Wild Card game against the Vikings. The team has been using a combination of Christine Michael, Bryce Brown and Fred Jackson with Lynch out and Thomas Rawls done for the year and Carroll is hoping that Lynch will be healthy enough to play this week.
The Vikings won over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night to win the NFC North division title and that sets up a matchup with the Seahawks on Sunday. The game will be at 1 pm ET in Minnesota and Seattle comes in playing at a high level and could be the favorites to come out of the NFC, even with the Panthers and Cardinals as the top two seeds. Seattle won already against the Vikings during the regular season and that was a dominating victory and now the two teams will face off again.
The Seahawks schedule for next season is also set, as the team finished this season with a win against the Cardinals to improve to 10-6. The team finished second in the NFC West and apart from their divisional games, the team will have home matchups with the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles. The team also has away games with the New York Jets, Green Bay Packers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints. The Seahawks also will visit the Patriots in a Super Bowl rematch from last year.
