A week ago, Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch seemed ready to go for Seattle's Wild Card matchup in Minnesota, but ended up not getting on the team bus to head to the airport.

This week, in a text to ESPN's Kenny Mayne, Lynch himself said, "I'm ready."

Lynch was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and Thursday this week, but also was last week too. Last week he informed the team that he was not ready to go on Friday after practicing all week. Coach Pete Carroll said early in the week that he was day-to-day, but him practicing all week once again is a fairly good inclination of what is to come for Seattle.

The Seahawks are scheduled to head off to Charlotte Friday afternoon and it is expected that Lynch will be on that flight as the Seahawks get set to take on the Carolina Panthers on Sunday afternoon.

"Any time you have Marshawn, it's a great thing," quarterback Russell Wilson said Thursday. "He's a great football player. Nobody really runs like him at all, and hopefully we can have him out there on the field. But as teammates, we want him to be healthy. We want him to feel like he's ready to go." (via Sheil Kapadia)

Lynch this year hasn't played since Week 10 and has since undergone surgery on his abdomen which has kept him out since then. In the games he has played, Lynch has carried the ball 111 times for 417 yards.

In Lynch's absence, the Seahawks have turned to Christine Michael who has gotten the start ever since the injury to Thomas Rawls in Baltimore in Week 14. Along with Michael has been Bryce Brown, who has been on and off the team a few times this season, but with the injury troubles at running back, he finds himself in a complimentary role to go along with third down back, Fred Jackson.

Michael had a solid performance a week ago in the sub-zero temperatures in Minnesota, as he rushed for 70 yards on 21 carries. Jackson was the only other running back to receive a carry and that was just once. Wilson will also be a dynamic player for the Seahawks in the run game with his scrambling ability along with the read option.

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About the author
Josh Eastern
I live in Seattle, Washington and attend Indiana University as a journalism major. You can follow me on Twitter (@JoshEastern) and feel free to email me at [email protected] with any questions/thoughts.