Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch is expected to play this weekend, as he sent a two word message to ESPN's Kenny Mayne, stating "I'm ready."
Lynch was ruled out last week against the Minnesota Vikings in the wild card round of the playoffs, but he has been a full participant at practice both Wednesday and Thursday this week. The Seahawks face the top seeded Carolina Panthers this Sunday, and it looks to be a matchup of top-tier defenses. Carolina finished the regular season ranked sixth in terms of yards given up per game, and Seattle finished ranked second.
The Seahawks are fortunate to be playing this weekend in Carolina after Vikings kicker Blair Walsh missed a late 27-yard field goal for the win. Both teams struggled to move the ball in freezing temperatures in Minnesota last week, and Lynch will likely return to his normal workload this Sunday.
Seahawks running back Christine Michael has taken a bulk of the carries in Lynch's absence and rushed for 70 yards on 21 carries last weekend. Lynch hasn't played since November against the Arizona Cardinals and has struggled to produce this season with only one game rushing over 100 yards. The Seahawks star running back is currently averaging 3.8 yards per carry, the lowest since first arriving in Seattle. Seattle's top running back has rushed for 417 yards in seven games this season and has scored three touchdowns.
Lynch managed 54 yards and a touchdown against the Panthers in a loss back in October, and expect the 29-year-old running back to look to make his presence felt on Sunday.
