Seahawks’ Marshawn Lynch ‘day-to-day,’ ‘encouraged,’ Pete Carroll says

The availability of Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch for Sunday’s NFC divisional playoff game against the Carolina Panthers is up in the air.

Lynch, who had abdominal surgery in November, practiced Wednesday, but based on recent events, that doesn’t mean he will play against the Panthers.

“He’s day-to-day and that’s how we’ll do this,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday. “We’ll evaluate and move on to the next day and see how it goes. I can feel that he’s encouraged, though.”

Lynch didn’t play in Seattle’s 10-9 wildcard victory at Minnesota on Sunday, despite being a full participant in three days of practice last week. Lynch told the team Friday that he wouldn’t travel to Minnesota.

Lynch has missed Seattle’s last eight games and underwent abdominal surgery on Nov. 25. Lynch, who rushed for 417 yards and scored three touchdowns in the Seahawks’ first nine games, has not played since Nov. 15.

Third-year running back Christine Michael, Lynch’s backup, rushed for 70 yards on 21 carries against the Vikings.

“Marshawn is a special player and he has special talents,” Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said. “When he’s in there, you can tell the difference he makes.”

Bevell said Lynch looked better at practice Wednesday.

“He had a little more pace and tempo to him than he did at the end of last week,” Bevell said. “Only Marshawn knows how he’s feeling. You can’t determine it by watching him. It’s a feel thing. He had surgery; they cut on him. He has to feel confident in what he’s doing.”

Tight end Luke Willson, who missed Minnesota game with a concussion, practiced Wednesday. Fullback Will Tukuafu (leg) and defensive end Michael Bennett (toe) didn’t practice.

Notes

▪  Carroll used a unique way of firing up his team Saturday night in Minneapolis. He tackled a white board set up in a meeting room during his pregame speech.

“I thought he broke something, honestly, because he’s so old,” said Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner. “But whatever he’s doing, I want to be able to do something like that when I get to be his age.”

Carroll, 64, was a defensive back at Pacific in college.

▪ The Seahawks have have won six consecutive road games, a franchise record. Since winning in San Francisco on Oct. 22, Seattle has allowed just one offensive touchdown in 62 possessions on the road.

▪ The Seahawks, who ranked second in the NFL in total defense (291.8 yards per game) during the regular season, are third in opposing quarterback rating with a 78.1 mark. The Panthers lead the league with a 73.5 rating.

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 7:23 PM with the headline "Seahawks’ Marshawn Lynch ‘day-to-day,’ ‘encouraged,’ Pete Carroll says."