Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson suffered a finger injury on his throwing hand during the third quarter of Thursday night’s 26-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Wilson was unable to return to the game and was replaced by Geno Smith.
Well, it appears that the injury may keep Wilson out of action for a while.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports on Friday that Wilson has a “ruptured middle-finger tendon that likely requires surgery,” and the star quarterback could miss “at least a month and possibly 6-8 weeks.”
Update: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Wilson already had the surgery and is expected to be out “roughly six weeks.”
This is brutal news for Wilson and the Seahawks.
The 32-year-old has been playing at an elite level this season, with 10 touchdown passes and just one interception, and an NFL-leading 125.3 passer rating.
Seattle is 2-3 on the season, and while being in the NFC West, which is arguably the best division in football; the Arizona Cardinals are 4-1, the Rams are 4-0, and the San Francisco 49ers are 2-2.
This is the Seahawks’ schedule over the next eight weeks: at the Pittsburgh Steelers, vs the New Orleans Saints, vs the Jacksonville Jaguars, Bye Week, at the Green Bay Packers, vs the Cardinals, at the Washington Football Team, vs the San Francisco 49ers. If Wilson only were to miss four weeks, he’d miss just three games, and he’d be able to be back for a very difficult stretch vs the Packers, Cardinals, WFT, and 49ers.
So, if it’s on the lower end of the reported timetable, perhaps Seattle can hang in there — having a home game against the Jaguars helps — while Wilson is out. But with already having three losses (again, in a loaded division), and with a roster that has some clear flaws that Wilson helped mask, it’s sure to be a very difficult playoff path for the Seahawks. At the moment, Five Thirty Eight gives Seattle a 33% chance to reach the postseason.
The good news for Seattle is that Smith looked excellent in relief of Wilson on Thursday night.
https://twitter.com/thecomeback/status/1446307334834196487
The Seahawks will need more of that to tread water while Wilson is out.