MINNEAPOLIS — After the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Minnesota Vikings 10-9 in Sunday’s playoff game, head coach Pete Carroll talked about why running back Marshawn Lynch decided Friday as the team was leaving that he couldn’t play Sunday and decided not to travel to Minnesota.
That was after the team had listed its lead running back as a full participant for all three practices last week.
“We finished practice (Friday) and I went right to you guys, to talk to the media, just going on what I’d seen. But when he went back to his locker and sat down (and reported) he just didn’t feel it,” Carroll said. “He didn’t feel like he could go. And that’s it.
“He just didn’t feel like he had it. There wasn’t enough time to build the confidence that he needed to come in and do something. So that’s it. We took off and left.”
Lynch had abdominal surgery Nov. 25. He hasn’t played since Nov. 15.
Seattle had 97 yards on 28 carries Sunday. That included 70, hard yards by Christine Michael. Lynch’s fill-in looked determined on his carries, just as he did when he had 84 yards against Cleveland last month.
Asked about Lynch’s status for practices this week and Sunday’s divisional playoff game at Carolina, the coach said: “I don’t really know. I don’t know. We’ll just take it one day at a time.”
Chancellor stands his ground
Strong safety Kam Chancellor on the interference call he got on Minnesota’s final drive, colliding with TE Kyle Rudolph to get the Vikings into Seattle territory: “B.S. I stood my ground and he ran into me. They tell you that you can stand there and as long as he runs into you then you’re good. Today, it went the opposite way.”
Extra points
Sunday was the first time the Seahawks had been shut out in a first half since the 2014 regular-season finale against St. Louis. Seattle had 86 yards at halftime, to 99 for the Vikings. … The only injury Carroll noted was to punter Jon Ryan, whom the coach thinks has a broken nose as a result of his failed run after a bad snap by Clint Gresham in the first quarter. Ryan was still woozy hours after the game.
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