Kenneth Walker will play. But Seahawks may not have Al Woods to stop the 49ers’ run
The Seahawks’ short week was not short enough to keep Kenneth Walker out again.
He’s playing Thursday night against the NFC West-leading San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field.
Seattle did not have Walker on the injury report it issued Wednesday afternoon, the final official one for the game. That means he’s playing. The rookie lead running back missed the Seahawks’ loss at Carolina with an ankle injury he got in the first half of his previous game, at the Los Angeles Rams Dec. 4.
“He finished the week, doing well,” coach Pete Carroll said following the Seahawks’ light, walk-through practice indoors Wednesday. “So we will see what happens.”
In the game, that is.
“He did really well. I was really pleased,” Carroll said. “He looked really quick out here.”
Walker has nine touchdowns in the 7 1/2 games he’s played and become a candidate for NFL offensive rookie of the year since starting running back Rashaad Penny broke his leg in early October.
Without him and injured DeeJay Dallas last weekend, Seattle’s fourth- and fifth-string running backs Travis Homer and Tony Jones rushed 10 times for just 28 yards. That is a factor, and not a good one for the Seahawks, why quarterback Geno Smith said Tuesday “I have been too aggressive as of late.”
Walker had his first game with two interceptions this season, and since 2014, last weekend when Walker and Dallas were out of the running game and couldn’t support him.
Dallas and the rest of the Seahawks’ injured players are questionable for this Thursday game on a short turnaround from Sunday’s game.
Dallas has what Carroll has called a high-ankle-like sprain of ligaments. That’s an injury that usually keeps players out multiple weeks. He hasn’t been on the practice field at all this week, and seems unlikely to play.
Starting defensive tackle Shelby Harris is back from being too sick to play Sunday. He will start Thursday.
The Seahawks need Harris and tackle Al Woods on a defense that has allowed 160.5 yards rushing per game, the worst for a Seattle team since 1981, and surrendered 223 yards on the ground to the Panthers last weekend. But Woods hasn’t practiced all week. He left the Carolina game in the second quarter with an Achilles injury. Carroll says it is not a tear.
Starting strong safety Ryan Neal is questionable with a bruised knee. He will get treatment right up to Thursday and the 5:15 p.m. kickoff.
If Neal play, expect more of Johnathan Abram at strong safety. Maybe expect that even if Neal is able to play.
Abram got four plays in the Carolina game, his Seattle debut days after the team claimed the former Raiders first-round draft pick off waivers from Green Bay.
“He needs more plays. We need to get more,” Carroll said.
“I planned on to see him more than we did. So, we’ll see if we can get that done this week.”
This story was originally published December 14, 2022 at 1:55 PM.
