One injured Seahawks starter out, another could be returning to secondary to play Vikings
The Seahawks will again be without one starter in their besieged secondary.
Will they gain back another?
As Pete Carroll had announced this week, All-Pro safety Jamal Adams is officially out for Seattle’s game against the Minnesota Vikings (1-3) Sunday night at CenturyLink Field.
The Seahawks’ injury report Friday for the game also listed starting cornerback Quinton Dunbar as questionable to play. Dunbar has missed Seattle’s last two games with a knee injury. He returned to the practice field Thursday and Friday.
“He did real real, particularly (Thursday) in practice, in a full-go practice,” coach Pete Carroll said.
“There’s a really good chance he’s going to be ready to go.”
Also questionable for the Minnesota game: starting left guard Mike Iupati (knee, back), rookie linebacker Jordyn Brooks (sprained knee) and running back Carlos Hyde (shoulder).
Carroll said Hyde “probably could play” Sunday night. But the Seahawks (4-0) have their bye next week. That was a factor in giving Adams more time to heal his strained groin for the final 11 games of the regular season.
“We want to get him right,” Carroll said Friday, again.
Same is true for Brooks, and perhaps Hyde.
“He’s gotta do some politicking here on the way through the weekend,” Carroll said, “and we’ll see how that conversation goes all the way up to game time Sunday.”
Carroll said the team was just “taking care of” Iupati Friday, inferring that his veteran will start at left guard Sunday. If he can’t, Jordan Simmons or Jamarco Jones are available to play there.
Tre Flowers has started the last two weeks for Dunbar. According to Pro Football Reference statistics, Flowers has allowed 23 receptions in 28 targets at him this season, an 82% rate of completions with an average of 12.6 yards per catch against him.. Opposing quarterbacks have a 121.7 passer rating throwing at Flowers, whom coach Pete Carroll converted to safety and made Seattle’s starting cornerback as a rookie in 2018.
The Seahawks allowed an NFL-record 1,292 yards passing through three games this season. Last week in their win at Miami, the Seahawks dropped deeper in coverage to prevent a continuation of the 19 plays of 20 or more yards the defense allowed in the first three weeks.
It worked. Miami quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick completed 29 of 45 throws for 315 yards, but the Dolphins drove more methodically down the field than Seattle’s previously big-play opponents. Miami settled for five field goals in the first 3 1/2 quarters while Russell Wilson and the Seahawks’ offense built a 31-15 lead en route to Seattle’s second 4-0 start to a season in franchise history.
Hyde, Seattle’s number-two running back behind Chris Carson, missed last week’s game with a shoulder injury. He again wore a red, no-contact jersey this week in practices.
Brooks did not practice Wednesday or Thursday. Carroll talked with his rookie first-round pick coming off the practice field Friday.
“He is feeling a lot better, and he has made a turn,” Carroll said. “So, it’s positive.
“Again, with that week next week looming. It’s kind of hard to not utilize that for some of these guys. So that’s in the back of our mind, for sure.”
Sounds and looks like Cody Barton will again start at weakside linebacker, with K.J. Wright coming off one of his stronger games starting again at strongside linebacker in Seattle’s base 4-3 defense.
The Seahawks may play that more against Minnesota than the roughly 30% they’ve played base so far this season. Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is the NFL’s rushing leader. Seattle has yet to have a running back get more than 14 carries against its defense that has been so porous against the pass. Cook had 15 carries last week in the first half of Minnesota’s win at Houston.
Reserve safety and sixth, dime defensive back Lano Hill is questionable with the back issue that’s kept him out of the last two games. Carroll said Hill has “some issues” still in his back that may keep him sidelined for a while.
The coach didn’t say it, but another issue for Hill: the emergence out of nowhere of third-string safety Ryan Neal off the practice squad. He’s had two interceptions in two games into starting for Adams and Hill.
Carroll said this week Neal has earned to continue playing after Adams and perhaps Hill are healthy. That could mean Neal replaces Hill as the dime defensive back in passing situations.
This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 1:24 PM.
