The Seattle Seahawks have their most pivotal matchup of the season tomorrow, facing off against the Los Angeles Rams. With both teams at 7-2, the winner will move into first place and hold a one-game lead in the NFC West. However, the Seahawks are heading to Los Angeles without a key player.
Earlier today, the team placed center Jalen Sundell on injured reserve with a knee injury. Along with missing Sunday’s game against the Rams, Sundell will be inactive for at least the next four weeks. The soonest he’s eligible to return is Week 15 against the Indianapolis Colts.
In a corresponding move, the Seahawks activated guard Christian Haynes. According to Seahawks insider Brian Nemhauser, Olu Oluwatimi is expected to start at center, while Haynes will add depth as a backup interior offensive lineman.
Details on Sundell’s Knee Injury
Sundell injured his knee in the second quarter of Seattle’s Week 10 blowout win over the Arizona Cardinals. While there was immediate concern that Sundell would miss multiple weeks, ESPN’s Brady Henderson reports that the Seahawks are optimistic the injury isn’t season-ending.
“It’s his knee,” coach Mike Macdonald told reporters after the game. “Not sure on the severity, but it looked like he was in good spirits. We’ll get it imaged and move on from there. But, this could come back to haunt me, I don’t think it’s season-ending.”
The team hasn’t disclosed the exact nature of the knee injury. However, they added that surgery was a possibility.
Overcoming Sundell’s Absence
Sundell, a second-year player out of North Dakota State, has had an up-and-down season for Seattle. PFF ranks his performance near the bottom of the league, 28th overall out of 37 eligible centers.
The interior offensive line has been one of the few weaknesses for an otherwise dominant Seahawks team. Along with Sundell, right guard Anthony Bradford has also been criticized for poor play. Deficiencies at these positions are a significant reason why Seattle ranks 30th in the NFL with 3.8 rushing yards per attempt.
On one hand, it’s possible that Oluwatimi steps in and provides an immediate upgrade over Sundell.
“Really excited for Olu,” Macdonald told Seahawks Senior Reporter John Boyle. “Talking about staying ready, and then when this opportunity presented itself, he played some really good football for us, and he was really a catalyst behind a lot of those runs.
“Olu is also a really good player. He’s played great football for us, and that’s what we’re going to need from him.”
On the other hand, Oluwatimi is ostensibly the backup center for a reason. It’s likely he’s a downgrade or, at least, a net neutral compared to Sundell.
As a result, one of the biggest worries heading into Sunday’s bout with the Rams is that the Seahawks’ weakest unit has gotten even weaker. Los Angeles has a fearsome defense in their own right, allowing the second-fewest points per game (17.0) and the sixth-fewest rushing yards per attempt (3.9).
Missed Opportunity at the Trade Deadline
There was speculation leading up to the Nov. 4 trade deadline that the Seahawks would acquire an interior offensive lineman, either as a replacement starter or added depth. Names like Jackson Powers-Johnson, Wyatt Teller, and Cesar Ruiz floated around as possible trade candidates.
General manager John Schneider either didn’t find a deal that he liked or believed the current interior offensive linemen were sufficient–or perhaps both. With Sundell out for the next month, and possibly longer, time will tell if the Seahawks regret the decision.
Seahawks vs. Rams kicks off Sunday, Nov. 16 at 4:05 EST.
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