Kenneth Walker got well, quickly.
That’s one, perhaps the only one, injury issue in the Seahawks’ favor for their attempt to end their three-game losing streak Sunday against the Falcons in Atlanta.
Seattle made Walker active to play Sunday, one day after its lead running back fell ill and was a late addition to the game injury list as questionable.
But starting cornerback Riq Woolen, third corner Tre Brown and fill-in starting right tackle Stone Forsythe were inactive with injuries. Coach Mike Macdonald said Friday before the Seahawks flew here the team hopes to have Woolen and Brown back from their sprained ankles in time for them to play next Sunday in Seattle against the Buffalo Bills.
Woolen’s and Brown’s injuries meant practice-squad cornerbacks Josh Jobe and Faion Hicks, elevated to the active roster Saturday, were active to play Sunday.
The timeline to return is unknown on Forsythe. He mangled his hand badly in the Seahawks’ loss last week against San Francisco.
Rookie sixth-round draft choice Mike Jerrell from Division-II Findlay made his NFL debut and first career start Sunday. He is the Seahawks Plan D at right tackle. The News Tribune detailed Jerrell’s remarkable path of spurning money from NIL deals with bigger college programs to stay at Findlay in rural northwest Ohio to make the NFL here.
Starting right tackle Abe Lucas hasn’t been on a field practicing let alone playing since early January. He remains out indefinitely following knee surgery last winter. Ninth-year veteran George Fant started the opener for Lucas Sept. 8 against Denver. Fant injured his knee 13 plays into that game. He remains on injured reserve.
The Seahawks other inactives were reserves: linebacker Trevis Gipson, offensive lineman Sataoa Laumea and defensive linemen Myles Adams and Cam Young.
Laumea, a rookie sixth-round pick from Utah, can play tackle and guard. Him being inactive meant Seattle had Jalen Sundell as the only active offensive tackle behind starters Charles Cross on the left and Jerrell on the right for Sunday’s game.
Seattle’s recently struggling offensive line played against an Atlanta defense that entered Sunday with the worst-rated pass rush in the league, by pressure rates. The Falcons were allowing the highest percentage of completed passes by opponents.
That, and the Seahawks’ injuries on defense, set the game up to be a Geno Smith shootout versus Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins.
