KIRKLAND, Wash. – League MVP Shaun Alexander has a broken left foot and will be lost to the Seattle Seahawks for at least a couple of weeks.
Coach Mike Holmgren said Monday that a bone scan revealed Alexander sustained a “small crack” and “displaced fracture” on a non-weight-bearing bone in his foot sometime during the Seahawks’ 42-30 win over the New York Giants on Sunday. Alexander ran for 47 yards on 20 carries before sitting out the fourth quarter, which began with Seattle leading 42-3.
The coach said last season’s NFL rushing leader was on crutches inside team headquarters Monday.
“You lose the MVP for a while, it’s a hit,” Holmgren said. “Let’s face it, he’s the MVP. We’re not going to sugarcoat it.”
Alexander missed practices last Wednesday and Thursday because of soreness from a bone bruise he sustained while rushing for 51 yards on 19 carries in the Sept. 10 season opener at Detroit. Holmgren said that bone bruise led to the small crack.
Alexander will miss at least Sunday night’s showdown at Chicago, which is also 3-0. Seattle has its bye the following week before playing at division rival St. Louis on Oct. 15.
“I don’t think it will be lengthy,” Holmgren said. “He just has to stay off of it and let it heal.”
Holmgren said he could not yet specify how long last season’s league rushing champion would be out.
“We’re looking at a few weeks, let’s put it that way,” Holmgren said. “The good thing is, it’s just a small, little crack _ if you want to talk about a good thing.”
Alexander has started 69 of the last 70 games for the Seahawks. His only absence in that span was a 2002 start that he missed to help with the birth of his first daughter. He entered that game in the second quarter.
Last season, Alexander rushed for 1,880 yards and 27 touchdowns. He has just 187 yards and an average of 2.9 yards per carry through three games. His career average is 4.5 yards per rush. He has gained fewer than 100 yards in each of Seattle’s three games this season, his first such streak in two years.
Sunday, the Seahawks welcomed former Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch by featuring four-wide receiver formations, and Matt Hasselbeck threw a franchise record-tying five touchdown passes.
Maurice Morris will make his fourth career start for Alexander against the Bears. Morris rushed 15 times for 18 yards against the Giants on Sunday.
“You have only one way to go,” Holmgren said. “Just plug someone in and go.”
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