Seattle Seahawks Rumors: Marshawn Lynch ‘Ready’ To Play Against Carolina Panthers
Seattle Seahawks rumors about Marshawn Lynch have fans buzzing again. Fresh Seahawks rumors indicate Lynch is very confident that he will play against the Carolina Panthers in the 2016 NFL Playoffs. A report from KOMO News out of Seattle has Lynch stating that he is “ready” to take on the Panthers Sunday, January 17.
As Seahawks fans know from last week, Lynch appeared ready to play against the Minnesota Vikings as well. Then he failed to board the team flight to Minnesota, opting to sit out another week due to a lack of confidence. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll had felt Lynch was going to play after participating in a full week of practice, but the team had to lean on Christine Michael in the frigid Minnesota temperatures.
Now these new Seattle Seahawks rumors present another interesting wrinkle as the team prepares to take on the Carolina Panthers in the divisional round of the 2016 NFL Playoffs. It is expected that Carroll will address the situation when he speaks with the press on Friday, January 15, with quite a few questions likely to come from the media. Not having played since Week 10 due to an abdominal injury, there will also be a lot of debate among NFL analysts about what he can do for the Seahawks against the Panthers.
The Seahawks and Panthers played in Week 6 of the regular season, with Seattle leading until Cam Newton completed a touchdown pass with 32 seconds left in the game. The Panthers won the game 27-23 and knocked the Seahawks down to 2-4 on the season. Marshawn Lynch ran 17 times for 54 yards and a touchdown, with his longest run of the day being 17 yards. Russell Wilson managed 53 rushing yards on just eight carries, helping the team surpass 100 yards on the ground again.
Thomas Rawls was the only other running back to get a carry against the Panthers, and he went for eight yards on that single touch. Jimmy Graham provided the biggest impact on offense, catching eight passes for 140 yards. Rawls and Graham are sidelined with injuries, with Christine Michael and Luke Willson expected to see more playing time as a result. Willson may need to come up big on offense to make sure the Seahawks can get yards in the middle of the field.
Without Lynch or Rawls against the Minnesota Vikings, Christine Michael was the most used running back in the wild card playoff game. He rushed for 70 yards on 21 carries, helping the Seahawks net some important yards in the fourth quarter comeback. Michael is still expected to see a lot of playing time against the Panthers, even if Lynch is back in a starting role.
These Seattle Seahawks rumors are a big deal, as a healthy Marshawn Lynch could have a lot of success against the Carolina Panthers. During the divisional round of the 2014 NFL Playoffs, he had 59 yards on 14 carries, averaging just over 4.2 yards per carry. In a 2014 regular season victory, he had 62 yards on 14 carries to average about 4.4 yards per carry. It may become very important for him to average that or better on Sunday, as the Seahawks will have to mix up the offensive plays to present the Panthers with a new look.
Getting Marshawn Lynch and Luke Willson back for the NFL Playoffs will give Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson two additional weapons to work with on offense. With a healthy secondary as well, the Seahawks could be in a position to pull off an upset of the No. 1 NFC seed. Game time for the Seattle Seahawks vs. Carolina Panthers game is 11:05 a.m. PT on Sunday, January 17. FOX will providing the live television coverage from Bank of America Stadium.
[Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images]
