The Seattle Seahawks have been trending in the right direction in recent weeks. Seattle has claimed three straight victories to vault the team back into playoff contention. If the postseason started today, Pete Carroll and company would be the NFC’s sixth seed.
Seattle may not be in the same position of years past when the team won the division title and home-field advantage, but they’re peaking at the right time.
One main reason for this has been Russell Wilson’s recent resurgence. The quarterback has picked apart opposing defenses over his last three games to the tune of 879 yards and 11 touchdowns. During those contests he has completed a staggering 76.74 percent of his passes. He has also gained 10.22 yards per pass attempt and 12.78 adjusted yards per pass attempt. Just by comparison, Tom Brady has only gained 7.7 yards per pass attempt and 8.4 adjusted yards per pass attempt.
While Seattle has been on fire as of late, the same cannot be said for the team’s opponents, the Baltimore Ravens.
Despite winning two of the team’s last three games, the Ravens have been decimated by injuries. Nowhere has this been more prominent than on the offensive side of the ball. The Ravens have lost starting quarterback Joe Flacco, starting running back (and former Seahawk) Justin Forsett and star wide receiver Steve Smith to injured reserve. Regular offensive contributors in running back Lorenzo Taliaferro and tight end Dennis Pitta join the trio on injured reserve. Recent first-round pick and wide receiver Breshad Perriman hasn’t played a snap in the regular season and is also lost for the season.
Baltimore could be even more depleted against the Seahawks as current starting quarterback Matt Schaub (shoulder) is questionable. Tight end Crockett Gilmore (back) and wide receiver Marlon Brown (back) are both listed as doubtful.
If Schaub cannot play, it is likely that Seattle will match up with Jimmy Clausen for the second time this season. Clausen was with the Chicago Bears earlier in the season and played the Seahawks in the Pacific Northwest. The Hawks held him to nine completions for 67 yards and zero touchdowns in that game.
With so many offensive players out, it’s likely that the Ravens will give Javorius Allen a significant amount of touches. Allen was thrust into the starting lineup after Forsett was injured and has been given 75 touches since. He ran for 63 yards on 17 carries and caught 12 passes for 107 yards in the team’s loss to the Miami Dolphins last week.
Despite Allen’s presence, the Seahawks will certainly feel confident playing such a depleted team.
Injury Report
Running back Marshawn Lynch (abdomen) remains out while defensive end Demarcus Dobbs (concussion) has also been ruled out. Fellow defensive lineman Jordan Hill (toe) is listed as doubtful after missing practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Rounding out the injury report are defensive lineman Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett (both non-injury related) who are probable to play against the Ravens.