TOP STORIES
Injury Report
Thursday Night in Denver Is Shaping Up as an Ankle Convention
Jaxon Smith-Njigba landed on Monday’s injury report, limited with an ankle. He leads the NFL in receiving yards and touchdowns, so my blood pressure has notes. Some context before anyone starts pacing: nobody practiced Monday. A Thursday game forces both teams to file an estimated report anyway, and JSN finished Sunday’s game.
583
JSN’s receiving yards through five games, most in the NFL. His seven touchdown catches lead the league too.
Now the fun part. Denver’s report is worse, and it’s worse exactly where JSN does his work. Patrick Surtain II, who missed last weekend with an ankle, was a non-participant. So was safety Talanoa Hufanga, who left Sunday’s win over the Chargers early with his own ankle. Corner Riley Moss is limited with ribs. I don’t wish injuries on anybody. I do wish JSN a lot of targets.
Seattle’s list has some wear of its own. Leonard Williams is limited with the ankle again after playing 44 of 60 defensive snaps on it Sunday, which is a very Big Cat way to rest. Drake Thomas (ankle) and Chazz Surratt (calf) didn’t participate, and rookie right guard Beau Stephens is limited with a shoulder.
Both teams are 3-2, and Seattle is a three-point road favorite. Fine by me. A healthy JSN against a secondary held together with tape is a good bet. An offense that keeps the ball for four quarters would be a better one. Kickoff is 5:15 p.m. Thursday.
SOURCES →
AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
Drew Lock is limited with a right forearm injury, and he didn’t take a single snap in Sunday’s loss. If he can’t go Thursday, Jalen Milroe backs up Sam Darnold. Getting hurt on the bench takes real commitment. I’d like that energy pointed somewhere useful. RotoWire
Skip the drives that started with a Seattle giveaway and the 49ers scored 11 points on nine possessions, with five punts. They averaged 4.8 yards a play, the fifth straight opponent held under 5.0. The defense won Sunday. Nobody let it vote. Seahawks.com
A couple of weeks after calling special teams “not good enough,” Mike Macdonald said Monday that “our special teams took a jump yesterday.” Two weeks from public scolding to public compliment. The offense should ask the kick team for notes. Seahawks.com
Mike Macdonald’s scouting report on Byron Murphy II: “Byron’s playing dominant football right now.” Murphy and Leonard Williams are tied for the team lead with three sacks and five tackles for loss apiece. Most teams would build a defense around either one. Seattle just parks them side by side. Seahawks.com
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
RAMS
The Rams lined up a 48-yard field goal to beat Buffalo on Monday night, and Greg Rousseau got a hand on it. Buffalo hit a 45-yarder in overtime, won 37-34, and the team everybody priced as the Super Bowl favorite is now 2-3. That’s a game behind us, for anyone keeping score at home. I am. One defensive end beat the field-goal unit and the whole fancy roster went home losers. Enjoy those five straight Sunday afternoons, fellas. Nobody’s watching anyway.
NINERS
Deebo Samuel hurt his hamstring at Lumen on Sunday, and Kyle Shanahan said Monday it “got him pretty good” and he’s “going to miss some time.” Per ESPN, San Francisco is now down four of the top five receivers it planned to start the season with, with Ricky Pearsall, De’Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson all on IR. They’re 5-0, which is annoying. They’re also running out of people for Brock Purdy to throw to. By November he’ll be checking down to the Gatorade cooler.
CARDINALS
Arizona is 1-4, and Mike LaFleur announced Monday he isn’t changing playcallers, which means LaFleur looked into it and decided LaFleur is fine. He spent the day on “some tough conversations” built around one question: “How do we not allow this to happen ever again?” The reasons it keeps happening, he said, will stay “a little bit in-house.” Coach, Detroit just hung 45 on you. Everybody already knows what’s going on in that house.
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
Seattle’s first playoff game in franchise history was a wild-card game at the Kingdome on Christmas Eve 1983. Who did the Seahawks beat?
Tap to Reveal the Answer
The Denver Broncos, 31-7. Dave Krieg threw three touchdown passes, and Seattle went on to win at Miami before the run ended at the Raiders in the AFC Championship Game.
THIS DAY IN SEAHAWKS HISTORY
2013
October 13, 2013
Lynch Twice, Titans Once, Seattle Moves to 5-1
Marshawn Lynch ran for two touchdowns and Richard Sherman picked off his third pass of the season as Seattle beat Tennessee 20-13 at CenturyLink Field. The Seahawks trailed 10-7 at halftime after a 77-yard fumble return touchdown by Jason McCourty, then scored the next 13 points to go to 5-1. That season ended in New Jersey with a 43-8 win over the team Seattle plays Thursday night.
Got a Question for The Rooster?
Ankles, forearms, Thursday-night dread, or a theory about Denver’s secondary you’d like checked. Send it in. The best ones get answered, and the worst ones get answered louder.
Short week. Short sign-off. — The Rooster