RENTON — Once again the Seattle Seahawks will be charged with sieging the castle without their battering ram.
On Friday, the Seahawks ruled Marshawn Lynch out for Sunday’s road game against the Cincinnati Bengals, making it the second straight week Seattle will be without its top running back.
Lynch suffered a hamstring strain while catching a pass during the second quarter of Seattle’s 26-0 home victory over Chicago two weeks ago. Lynch sat out the second half against the Bears, then was unable to go last Monday against Detroit.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll expressed some optimism earlier in the week that Lynch may be able to return this week in advance of traveling to face undefeated Cincinnati. That optimism was augmented when Lynch returned to practice Thursday in a limited capacity.
However, Carroll decided that although Lynch is progressing well, he wasn’t going to risk Lynch this week.
“He actually did get a little bit of work and he’s running very well,” Carroll said about Lynch following Friday’s practice at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. “However, it’s just two weeks now, he’s just getting over it. We’ve seen some guys around the league try to come back. He could try to come back and play, but we think he’d be vulnerable. He needs another weekend to get through it, and by next week, by Wednesday, we think we can get him going again. He’s just about over the hump, he’s worked very diligently to get it done. We just have to wait a couple more days.
“If it’s a legit hammy that’s going to bother him, that means there’s some tissue that’s damaged and you just have to wait it out,” Carroll added. “He’s very close, but we can’t guarantee he can make it through the game, so that means he could get set back again. So we’re just going to wait it out and see if we can get him right next week.”
Lynch will not make the trip to Cincinnati with the team.
Seattle’s looking at the possibility of being desperately thin at running back against the Bengals. Primary third-down back Fred Jackson suffered what looked to be an ugly sprained ankle during Monday’s 13-10 victory over Detroit. However, Jackson has made a surprising recovery, and although he’s listed as questionable this week, Carroll thinks Jackson will be able to play.
“Fred had a fantastic recovery,” Carroll said. “He’s listed as questionable, but he’s going and we’re thinking he’s going to make it. He’ll have to work out on game day, but he looks really good and we think he’s going to be able to play.”
The only running back on Seattle’s roster other than Lynch and Jackson is Thomas Rawls. Rawls, an undrafted rookie, piled up 104 yards on 16 carries in relief of Lynch two weeks ago against Chicago. However, he was limited to 48 yards on 17 carries Monday against Detroit.
If Lynch and Jackson are unavailable, it’s likely fullback Derrick Coleman would see some emergency snaps at running back behind Rawls. Carroll also did not rule out the possibility of making a roster addition at running back if needed.
Seattle also has depth issues at cornerback. Tharold Simon (toe) and Marcus Burley (thumb) were both ruled out Friday, while rookie Tye Smith (hip) was listed as doubtful. Starters Richard Sherman and Cary Williams are the only other cornerbacks on the roster. That means the versatile Deshawn Shead, who filled in for Burley last week at nickel back after Burley broke his thumb, and safety Steven Terrell, who’s expected back from a hip injury, will likely see time at corner.
Seattle also listed defensive end Demarcus Dobbs (shoulder) and linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis (hamstring) as doubtful.
The one bit of positive injury news for the Seahawks is that starting defensive end Brandon Mebane, who missed last week’s game with a groin issue, is expected back.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/seattlesidelines, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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