‘Good sign’ Carlos Dunlap plays Sunday. But the starter Seahawks really need likely won’t
Signs are pointing to the Seahawks getting their top edge rusher back playing at Washington.
But signs are pointing away from the recently injured veteran starter the Seahawks really need playing on Sunday, to repel Washington’s scary pass rush.
Seattle (9-4) listed Brandon Shell as questionable to play against the NFC East-leading Washington Football Team (6-7). Coach Pete Carroll said Shell and Dunlap will be game-time decisions.
But the fact Dunlap practiced Friday and Shell did not practice at all this week, plus Carroll’s words before the Seahawks boarded their flight to the D.C. area Friday, suggest struggling fill-in Cedric Ogbuehi is starting at right tackle instead of Shell.
That’s not a great proposition against Chase Young, Montez Sweat and Washington’s defense that is fourth in the NFL in sacks.
“We held Brandon out again today,” Carroll said following Friday’s lighter, indoor practice.
“But Carlos did practice today, so that was a good sign for him. He hopes that he will be able to pull it off and play in the weekend.
“We’ll see...we won’t know until, really, on game day.”
A few minutes later, Carroll was talking as though Ogbuehi was going to be playing as Russell Wilson’s front-side pass protector. The former first-round pick by the Bengals has struggled this month filling-in for Shell. Then he, too, got hurt. That left Seattle down to practice-squad call-up Chad Wheeler at right tackle against the Giants and the Jets the last two weeks.
That didn’t go well for Wilson and the Seahawks, either.
Now it appears it will be Ogbuehi against Washington’s front that has four pass rushers with at least five sacks this season: Sweat (seven), Young (5 1/2), Ryan Kerrigan (5 1/2) and tackle Tim Settle (five) inside.
“He’s a fine athlete. He’s got all the physical stuff that he needs,” Carroll said.
“I think he’s got a tremendous upside.
“This is going to be a great challenge for him to play...if he does. And he’s going to have to play really well, and all. But he is really capable. He’s got a great future.”
That future needs to begin now for Seattle, and for Wilson. Only Pittsburgh (45), Philadelphia (43) and the Los Angeles Rams (42) have more sacks than Washington’s 40.
The Seahawks host L.A. next weekend in what is likely going to be the NFC West title game.
Dunlap sprained his foot three games ago, during Seattle’s win at Philadelphia. The two-time Pro Bowl defensive end played 23 of 56 defensive snaps six days later in the Seahawks’ home loss to the New York Giants. He missed their 40-3 demolition of the Jets last weekend.
Dunlap had four sacks in his first four games with the Seahawks after arriving in a trade from Cincinnati in late October. His sack of Kyler Murray on fourth down in the final seconds secured Seattle’s key division home win over then-first-place Arizona last month.
If he plays at Washington he’ll be trying to sack Dwayne Haskins and not Alex Smith.
Friday, Washington ruled Smith out for the game. That has paused his inspiring comeback from 17 leg surgeries. He injured his calf injury last weekend in the second quarter of the team’s fourth straight win with him as its quarterback, over San Francisco.
Carroll said the change to Haskins doesn’t change the Seahawks’ defensive game plan. They expect Washington coach Ron Rivera to play as he did as Carolina coach Ron Rivera in eight games against Seattle through last season: run-based, with a lot of motion, pulling blockers and varied running plays as the basis for the game plan—with Haskins as it would have been with Smith.
“We have enough background watching them play that their offense didn’t change. It was basically the same stuff,” Carroll said of Washington’s game last weekend when Smith played the first two quarters then Haskins replaced him for the final two periods.
“It doesn’t change us,” Carroll said. “We are going about it in the same manner.”
