Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch holds a candy cane in his mouth as he warms up before NFL football practice, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, in Renton, Wash. Lynch has been recovering since having abdominal surgery last November. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
On Friday, before the Seattle Seahawks traveled to Minneapolis, coach Pete Carroll was optimistic that Marshawn Lynch would play Sunday. That has been the message from the team all week.
By the time the Seahawks boarded a plane to Minnesota, Lynch wasn't with the team and the star running back was ruled out of Sunday's wild-card game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Lynch, who has been out since Nov. 15 and had sports hernia surgery, returned to practice this week. The Seahawks said they figured he'd start at tailback. But apparently Lynch didn't come around as he hoped. He was listed as questionable on the injury report Friday, and shortly after that it was announced he will not play.
"Following the final practice of the week on Friday, Lynch felt like he could not play," the Seahawks' announcement said.
The Seahawks said that Lynch did not make the trip to Minneapolis.
The entire ordeal after Lynch's surgery has been unusual. He spent most of his recovery time away from the Seahawks. For weeks there was no set timetable for his return. But on Monday, the team said Lynch would practice and all signs pointed to Lynch playing. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell indicated that Lynch could get a full workload of 20-25 carries if he played, according to Condotta.
"He’s going to play," Carroll said on a Friday morning radio show on KIRO, via the Seattle Times. "And he’s looked really good in practice."
But by Friday after practice, Carroll said "I don’t know really" if Lynch could play, although Lynch was listed as a full participant in practice each day this week, including Friday. And then, suddenly late Friday night, he was ruled out.
It's not easy to return from a surgery like that, and perhaps Lynch rushed back and then knew by late in the week that he couldn't be effective. More details are sure to emerge over the weekend about the sudden turn of events.
What is clear is that the Seahawks will be missing a key piece for a playoff game. Lynch and Thomas Rawls have been out for weeks, leaving the Seahawks with Christine Michael, who was signed on Dec. 16. He was with the Seahawks the past two seasons but traded for a conditional seventh-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys at the end of preseason. The Cowboys later cut him. Michael did have 102 yards against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 17.
The Seahawks have been one of the popular picks to make a long run in the playoffs, but they'll take the first step without one of their biggest stars.
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