Pete Carroll expects Marshawn Lynch to start in playoff game

As the Seattle Seahawks attempt to make their third straight Super Bowl appearance, they are getting back one of their biggest weapons.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said on Monday that he anticipates Marshawn Lynch will be able to play and start Sunday in the team’s wild-card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings.

“He’s ready to go,” Carroll said Monday via ESPN’s Sheil Kapadia. “He’s in the program, going, working, and he’s going to keep doing his workouts here with us today and tomorrow. And Wednesday, we’re going to practice and see how he feels and how far he can take it. He’s worked out in incredibly competitive situations. He, physically, should be ready to go, but now we’ve got to translate it into football and directly to us. I’m not worried about him having any problem with the system or any of that kind of stuff. It’s been a while, but he’ll be fine. So we’ll just see if he can handle it and expect that he will.”

Lynch has only seen action in seven games this season after being hurt in mid-November. He underwent abdominal surgery on Nov. 25 and has been recovering since.

On the season, Lynch has rushed for 417 yards and three touchdowns — the lowest totals of his career. Rookie Thomas Rawls had been doing an excellent job filling in for Lynch until suffering a broken ankle last month. Since then it’s been Bryce Brown and Christine Michael carrying the load.

With Lynch back, the Seahawks, which finished the season winning six of seven games, should be operating at full capacity in the postseason.