The Seattle Seahawks are expecting to have Marshawn Lynch back for the playoffs next week when the team takes on the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Wild Card round. Head coach Pete Carroll said that Lynch should be ready to play for the Seahawks after returning to the team following surgery.
Lynch has been out for over a month for the Seahawks after having abdominal surgery and he has been rehabbing away from the team in California. According to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, Lynch has returned to the team on Monday and Carroll said that he is expecting Lynch to be the starting running back when the team plays against the Vikings this weekend. The Seahawks have been using a combination of Christine Michael, Fred Jackson and Bryce Brown with Lynch out.
Lynch has dealt with injuries throughout the season, but he is the most talented running back on the team and with Thomas Rawls out for the year, Lynch would be the starter as long as he is ready to play. Lynch played in seven games this season and rushed for just 417 yards, his lowest total since being in Seattle, but he is the best option for the team at the position. Carroll said that Lynch is "ready to rock" and even if he is limited for the game, Lynch looks like he will play against the Vikings.
The Seahawks won against the Vikings by over 30 points earlier in the regular season and the team did not have Lynch for that game. The Seahawks won six of their final seven games of the season and after the Vikings won against the Packers on Sunday night, it set up the rematch between the two teams. Russell Wilson has had to do more on offense with Lynch out and he has been up to the test, passing for 24 touchdowns during that time. Getting Lynch back will only be a positive for Wilson and could be the key for the Seahawks getting through the playoffs.
The Seahawks and the Vikings are set to play on Sunday in the NFL Wild Card Round in the NFC and the game will be from TCF Bank Stadium at 1:05 pm ET. The game will be on NBC and has the Vikings coming in after winning over the Packers Sunday night to give the team the NFC North division title. The Seahawks finished the season with a big win over the Arizona Cardinals and that could give the team some major momentum coming into the playoffs.
