Two days removed from his team’s Christmas Eve road loss to the Chiefs, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll did his usual weekly radio appearance on ESPN 710 Seattle this morning. He shared some important injury updates and a few interesting facts from Saturday’s game.
Here are four takeaways from that conversation.
1
A challenge for the offensive line
If it looked like Seattle’s offensive line had a split personality this past week, you weren’t wrong. In the first half the Seahawks got bullied at the line of scrimmage, especially when they tried to run the ball. Rookie Ken Walker was limited to less than two yards per carry before halftime.
After the break, the unit came out with quite a bit more fire – helping unleash Walker to the tune of 107 total rushing yards by the end of the game. Carroll revealed that the team challenged the offensive line at halftime.
Pete Carroll on the difference in offensive line play in second half in getting running game going says on his @SeattleSports radio show that "we challenged them at halftime to get that done.''
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) December 26, 2022
PFF had Seattle’s offensive line ranked No. 20 in the league heading into last week.
2
Injury updates
It may be tough for the offensive line to build on that strong second half in Kansas City. Carroll says rookie right tackle Abe Lucas suffered a patella tendon injury and will get some imaging done. Tight end Will Dissly and safety Joey Blount will also need some.
Pete Carroll says on radio show on @SeattleSports that Abraham Lucas has a patellar tendon injury he is dealing with and will have "some imaging done'' to assess it. Says Joey Blount and Will Dissly also have knee issues and will get imaging done.
— Bob Condotta (@bcondotta) December 26, 2022
Carroll also updated a few other injuries, including strong safety Ryan Neal and defensive tackle Al Woods, who he’s hoping to get back this week.
Pete: "Al (Woods), he’s feeling better and has a chance. He’s been rehabbing over the weekend and we left him here to make sure he had a chance to work. Same with Ryan Neal. We’ll keep our fingers crossed both those guys have a chance to get back.”
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) December 26, 2022
3
Carroll not sure about Tyler Lockett's status vs. Jets
The biggest injury the team is currently dealing with belongs to wide receiver Tyler Lockett, who sat out just the second game of his career due to a broken hand.
Carroll admitted the team missed Lockett a lot, especially on third down.
Pete Carroll on @SeattleSports said the absence of Tyler Lockett was particularly felt on third down: "We weren't able to overcome his absence."
— John Boyle (@johnpboyle) December 26, 2022
Seattle went just 2/14 on third down against Kansas City’s not-very-special defense that managed to look like the 2000 Ravens.
As for next week, Carroll says he doesn’t know if Lockett will be able to suit up against the Jets.
Tyler Lockett is back with the team, Pete says. Status still unclear for the Jets game.
“We’ll see where he is," Pete says. "I don’t know.”
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) December 26, 2022
4
The Geno/Pete revenge game?
Speaking of the Jets, this could be a bit of a revenge game for both Seattle’s head coach and maybe-franchise quarterback.
Carroll’s first head coaching job in the NFL was with the Jets in 1994, but he only lasted one season before getting fired. Likewise, Geno Smith was their second-round pick in 2013 but only lasted two years as their starter.
Asked about the revenge game angle, Carroll had jokes.
Asked about Geno Smith getting up a lil more for a game vs. the Jets, Pete joked: “I don’t know if he gets up any more than I do." Pete started laughing. "I was there for a while, too. They sent me packing. Geno and I, we might ride this one out together."
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) December 26, 2022
The Seahawks are just one-point favorites for now.
