Signs pointing to Adrian Peterson making his Seahawks debut Sunday vs. 49ers
It was Friday, which meant Pete Carroll was especially, characteristically coy about who will play and how much on Sunday.
Yet does anyone truly believe 36-year-old future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson left tailgating and watching his Oklahoma Sooners play in person to sign Wednesday with the 3-8 Seahawks just to watch them play, too?
“Adrian had a good week,” Carroll said of the 2012 NFL most valuable player Friday, two days before Seattle hosts NFC West rival San Francisco (6-5) at Lumen Field.
“It’s probably hard for people on the outside to understand the impact his kind of background can make. At a time where we’re battling to try to win a game and get going, he jumped in here and had a remarkable influence on the week.”
Peterson is here not just for moral support, though the Seahawks need that. They need healthy running backs, too. Again.
Their most chronically injured position has lost lead rusher Chris Carson for the season to neck surgery he will have this month. Alex Collins has played through groin and abdominal injuries since soon after replacing Carson as lead back in mid-October.
Rashaad Penny, the first-round pick from 2018 who is supposed to be the number-two back behind Carson, is hurt. Again. He has a strained hamstring. A calf strain had him on injured reserve through September into November. Third-down Travis Homer has a strained calf.
Collins, Penny and Homer are questionable to play Sunday.
Peterson has looked tall, sleek and ready to play in his two days of practices for Seattle, his sixth NFL team. Tennessee released him Nov. 23, after he rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown over three games when Titans’ lead back Derrick Henry was hurt.
“I feel like I’ll be able to flow with this style of offense and how their run game is,” Peterson said of the Seahawks. “It kind of fits my style a little more than, I would say, Tennessee.
“I think it will be an easy adjustment for me.”
Carroll hinted that adjustment will begin in Sunday’s game for Peterson, and that he is obviously ready physcially to play.
“With three guys banged up at the spot, we’ll see how it goes on the weekend,” Carroll said. “He had a really productive week for us, and it was fun having him here.”
Carroll was asked if it is “realistic” Peterson will play against the 49ers.
The coach gave his coy, literal, Friday answer: “Yes. Yes, it is.”
Peterson has instantly impressed his new teammates and coaches with how hard he practices. Even in morning walkthroughs meant to go over plays in a methodical, chalkboard-like manner, Peterson has been sprinting as if trying to get to 15,000 career rushing yards during those meetings. He’s less than 100 yards from that rare milestone. Only four running backs — Barry Sanders, Frank Gore, Walter Payton, and Emmitt Smith — have passed it.
“It’s a big part of it, just because it’s a rare opportunity for our guys to see somebody like that, that has that kind of background but stands for so much more than just the numbers and the stats and all of that,” Carroll said. “He’s been a remarkable competitor, forever. It was so obvious.
“It was really a boost for a bunch of guys, the young guys in particular. He’s serious about playing. He’s not just here for show. He’s here to come here and try to help us win a game.”
Peterson, in his 15th NFL season, needs 98 yards to reach 15,000 for his career. He is fifth all-time in rushing yards, 367 yards behind Barry Sanders for fourth.
Peterson needs one touchdown to tie Jim Brown for 10th all-time. He is tied with Walter Payton at 125 TDs.
The Seahawks have to decide by Saturday afternoon whether to promote Peterson from the practice squad, onto which he signed Wednesday, to the active roster. The team can do that twice and return him to the practice squad without having him pass through waivers before they’d have to sign him to the 53-man roster or offer him free agency.
If Collins, Penny or Homer are too banged up to play, Peterson’s roster spot to play seems assured.
“We’ll get through (Saturday), get to Sunday, and see what happens,” Carroll said. “Guys got work this week. They all got work this week, so we just got to figure out who’s OK and who isn’t by Sunday.”
Lewis, multiple issues
Left guard Damien Lewis is doubtful for Sunday’s game. Kyle Fuller could start his second consecutive game at left guard. Fuller, benched as the starting center after seven games when Ethan Pocic took over there, started at left guard Monday night in Seattle’s loss at Washington.
Lewis missed that game after he dislocated his shoulder the previous week in Seattle’s home loss to Arizona.
While he was trying to make it back from that this week, he had a cyst treated in his groin area, a league source told The News Tribune.
“He’s got multiple things that we’re dealing with,” Carroll said, reluctant to detail the new issue, for obvious reasons. “He’s got a shoulder, and an elbow, and another thing that he had to get some help for.
“He’s just banged up. We’ve got to take care of him. It doesn’t look like he’s going to make it.”
Fashion trick
Maybe new clothes will produce a win.
The Seahawks have won just one game since they last played the 49ers — and won, in Santa Clara — Oct. 3. Friday, they announced they will wear blue jerseys over gray pants Sunday, a first time for a home game.
They’ve worn those multiple times for road games when the home team has unusually chosen to wear white.
The Seahawks wore blue over gray in playoff losses at Dallas in January 2019 and at Carolina in January 2016.
This story was originally published December 3, 2021 at 7:15 PM.
