It looks like we’re going to have to wait until at least the Wild Card round for Beast Mode to be activated again.
Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch has been ruled out of the team’s regular season finale in Week 17 against the Arizona Cardinals as he continues to recover from his abdomen injury. Head coach Pete Carroll said on Wednesday that Lynch as yet to return to practice and remains day-to-day, per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.
Marshawn Lynch is not back at practice. He won't play Sunday, still day to day, says Pete Carroll.
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) December 30, 2015
Carroll sounded optimistic earlier this week that Lynch might be able to return to action on Sunday, but the 29-year-old Pro Bowler is still apparently not ready.
The Seahawks have struggled to replace the production in the backfield of Lynch, who has been out of action since Week 10, especially once talented rookie replacement back Thomas Rawls was lost for the season with a broken ankle suffered in Week 14. Since then, Seattle has relied on a hodgepodge trio of Christine Michael, Bryce Brown, and Fred Jackson at running back, and have yet to score a rushing touchdown since Rawls went down.
Seattle has already clinched a spot in the NFC Playoffs, but with Lynch out and a matchup with Arizona’s top-notch defense awaiting, it is unlikely that they finish any higher than the sixth seed.
Lynch, who has totaled just 417 rushing yards and three touchdowns over seven games played this season, will likely be eased back into the flow of the offense upon a potential return. It’s beginning to look like Lynch may not play a big role in the Seahawks’ defense of their NFC Championship, even if he does make his return to the field for Seattle this season (or ever).
H/T Rotoworld
