Chris Carson, D.J. Fluker back ‘full speed’ for Seahawks vs Packers, but K.J. Wright doubtful
The Seahawks’ running game that romped for almost 300 yards against the mighty Rams is getting even stronger.
Lead running back Chris Carson and plowing right guard D.J. Fluker will return from injuries that kept them out of last weekend’s loss at Los Angeles to start Thursday night’s pivotal home game against the Green Bay Packers, coach Pete Carroll confirmed.
The two best players in Seattle’s vital rushing offense are so good to go they weren’t even listed on the injury report the team announced Wednesday.
“He’s ready to go. He’s full speed, ready to go,” Carroll said of Carson, who missed his second game of the season last weekend because of a soft-tissue injury in his left hip.
Part of the idea in Seattle not playing Carson and Fluker last weekend in Los Angeles was team doctors didn’t think either could finish that game with the state of their injuries at the time; Fluker has had a strained calf since the second half of the loss to the Chargers Nov. 4. Playing either one of them against the Rams likely would have meant they would not have been able to play Thursday against Green Bay.
Now Carson and Fluker have healed enough that the Seahawks expect them to be able to finish Thursday’s game and then be ready again to start 10 days after that when the team next plays, at Carolina.
Not to mention, like lions caged against their preference, Carson and the already-intense Fluker are now extra motivated to roar again.
“Both those guys are really hungry to play again,” Carroll said. “They were close enough that they might have been able to play last week, but they probably would not have been able to finish. I think all of our work and collaboration to figure this one out worked out well. Both guys are raring to get out there and be able to put out a good showing.”
The Packers will be missing three injured starters Thursday night: wide receiver Randall Cobb, cornerback Kevin King and linebacker Nick Perry. And starting middle linebacker Blake Martinez is questionable to play with an ankle injury.
Seahawks strong safety Bradley McDougald is also back full go and ready to start against the Packers. He’s been bothered for weeks by a knee injury that kept him out of parts of the Rams game.
The one Seahawks starter who may not play Thursday is K.J. Wright. The team listed the Pro Bowl outside linebacker as doubtful because of a knee injury that is lingering in his return from knee surgery he had in August.
I asked Carroll if Wright missing much of the Rams game last weekend, his third start of the season, not being able to do anything in Wednesday’s light practice and then him likely missing Thursday’s game indicates the 29-year-old had a setback with the knee in his return.
“Well, let’s see what happens tomorrow. We’ll talk about it after that,” Carroll said. “We’ll see. We’ll go up to game time and see how it works out. He’s a gallant competitor and we’ll see what it means.
“But right now we’ve got him as doubtful.”
In the likely event Wright missing his seventh of 10 games this season expect Seattle to primarily play nickel defensive with extra cornerback Justin Coleman covering Packers slot receivers and only two linebackers, Bobby Wagner and Barkevious Mingo.
This story was originally published November 14, 2018 at 3:07 PM.
