Seahawks get scare but Bobby Wagner says he’s OK. News not as positive on Quandre Diggs
Bobby Wagner flashed a thumbs-up.
Next to him in the Seahawks’ latest victorious locker room, his best friend on the team K.J. Wright said the All-Pro linebacker assured him that his sprained ankle wasn’t too bad.
Then Wagner said of the injury that kept him out for the final 7 minutes while the Panthers scored two touchdowns in Seattle’s 30-24 victory Sunday: “I’m doing fine. I’m good...
“I definitely was scared, but I’m good.
“The doctor said that if everybody goes out and voted for me for (NFL Walter Payton) Man of the Year that it will be better. That’s what he said.”
Everyone in the press-conference room at Bank of America Stadium laughed, including Wagner.
But the mood and news was far heavier on Quandre Diggs.
The Seahawks’ new safety who has reformed the secondary and much of the team’s season since his arrival from Detroit in a late-October trade has a sprained ankle that is more severe than Wagner’s.
It has the potential to keep the key free safety out of the final two regular-season games for the Seahawks (11-3), at home next weekend against Arizona and Dec. 29 against San Francisco. Seattle needs to win both to win the NFC West, get a home playoff game and likely a first-round bye.
“He looks a little more serious than Bobby did,” coach Pete Carroll said. “We’ll see.”
Then Carroll added, sounding uncharacteristically ominous and perhaps foreshadowing: “That would be a big loss if we can’t get him to get back next week. He’s been playing great football for us.”
The defense without Diggs and Wagner at the end of Sunday’s game looked more fitting for a preseason game in August than a playoff push at Christmastime.
Rookies Cody Barton, Ben Burr-Kirven and Ugo Amadi were trying, and failing, to keep fill-in quarterback Kyle Allen at the sunken Panthers (5-9, losers of six straight) out of the end zone in a 30-10 game. Shaquem Griffin moved from rush end he’s played for the last month back to the strongside linebacker he was as a rookie in 2018. Akeem King was the cornerback because Shaquill Griffin’s hamstring made him one of four defensive starters inactive before Sunday’s game even kicked off. Lano Hill entered at safety, exited, then re-entered.
That makeshift unit allowed Carolina two touchdowns in 1:39, turning what should have been a breeze home into a sweat on a beautifully sunny Sunday along the North and South Carolina border.
It took Russell Wilson scrambling and connecting intrinsically again with Tyler Lockett on one of them improvisational throws and catches on third and long to expire the clock and finally the Panthers.
“In the fourth quarter there was a time we might have had six guys out there that are non-starters...” Carroll said, accurately.
“Cody’s calling the shots and BBK is right next to him and he’s got Shaq, he’s got guys all over him, Griff. All kinds of new guys out there.
“So that’s a good, it’s a good statement for us going forward.”
Wagner slipped and landed awkwardly onto his bent, lower right leg while getting hit with 7:02 left in the fourth quarter. Trainers rushed onto the field. Wilson, with a cap on instead of his helmet with the offense on the sideline, went onto the field behind the trainers then bent over the fallen Wagner with concern.
Wagner went to the medical tent behind Seattle’s bench for observation. He emerged a few minutes later to watch, from the sideline with his helmet on and his hands on both hips, Barton call the plays instead, and the defense allow the Panthers’ second drive to a second, quick touchdown.
“It was tough,” Wagner said of watching. “You see the offense driving down the field and putting points up, so it’s hard to not get out there. It’s not really a position I’m used to, but I try to listen to doctors. I know they have my best interests.”
The Seahawks had already ruled top pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney and outside linebacker Mychal Kendricks out for the game.
Clowney had a bad flu that wasn’t getting better through the week, on top of the core-muscle injury he’s had for a month and may require surgery after the season.
“He was violently sick on Friday when we were leaving,” for Charlotte, Carroll said. “He threw up on the field (in practice) and we couldn’t—he was just too sick to get on the plane. And he had already been really sick. ...
“It was just like, we couldn’t put him on the plane and travel with him. He was too ill.”
Kendricks played the win over Minnesota Dec. 2 on a strained hamstring he got while making 11 solo tackles at Philadelphia Nov. 24 before missing last weekend’s loss at the Los Angeles Rams.
Then Sunday two starters who had been questionable to play were inactive: cornerback Shaquill Griffin because a hamstring he injured while finishing the loss to the Los Angeles Rams, and defensive end Ziggy Ansah.
Ansah has a neck-nerve injury that may be related to the shoulder he had surgically repaired 12 months ago at the end of his time with the Detroit Lions.
“Ziggy has a really good chance to play next week,” Carroll said.
Akeem King was poised to start at cornerback for Griffin. King had been Seattle’s nickel defensive back for the last month. Rookie Ugo Amadi was in line to be at nickel as the fifth defensive back with King at cornerback on passing downs against the Panthers and Allen.
Carroll sounded less optimistic about Griffin playing cornerback next Sunday against the Cardinals.
“Griff, got to find out if he can handle the running next week,” Carroll said. “We won’t know until later in the week.
Allen started his 12th game since Carolina lost Cam Newton to a season-ending foot injury. He completed 25 of 41 passes for 277 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. K.J. Wright got two of those, Wagner the other.
The Seahawks sacked Allen once. He had been sacked a whopping 44 times in 11 games entering Sunday.
Kendricks missing meant the second consecutive start and second in the NFL for Barton at the strongside linebacker in Seattle’s base 4-3 defense. Barton shared the team-high in tackles with Wagner (10).
“Kendricks has a really good chance of getting back (against Arizona),” Carroll said.
Clowney’s absence for the second time in four games since he felt abdominal pain while dominating in Seattle’s win at San Francisco Nov. 11 meant more opportunities for second-year end Rasheem Green, excellent recently, and rookie first-round pick L.J. Collier. Green had another sack, plus a tackle for loss and a hit on Allen.
“So that’s a good...it’s a good statement for us going forward. We’re going to need those guys down the stretch, and it makes us stronger.”
This story was originally published December 15, 2019 at 3:32 PM.
