On Sunday, the Seahawks visit San Francisco for a divisional showdown that could give Pete Carroll’s team a relatively commanding lead in the NFC West. Seattle’s main competition in the division is the Rams, who travel to New Orleans as nine-point underdogs and probably without top cornerback Ronald Bartell.
Seattle is a five-point dog, however, and heads to the Bay Area dealing with key injuries at wideout. Top receiver Big Mike Williams is listed as questionable for Week Fourteen with sprains to his left foot and ankle, and missed practice each day this week. Fellow starting receiver Ben Obomanu has a lacerated hand, and was also held out of practice all week. Like Williams, Obomanu is questionable on the injury report.
Carroll indicated Friday that the Seahawks are preparing to be without Williams against the 49ers.
“We have to plan like he’s not there,” said Carroll, according to the Seattle Times. "... Mike’s a little more of an issue because we have to make sure he can run full speed on Sunday.”
Carroll does expect Obomanu to play, although it can’t be good that a player with so little experience at wide receiver in real NFL games missed valuable practice reps all week.
If Williams is out and Obomanu is impacted by his stitched-together hand, the Seahawks may struggle to move the ball consistently on the Niners’ top-eleven defense. Running back Marshawn Lynch is averaging a pitiful 3.27 yards per carry as a Seahawk, and backup wideouts Deon Butler and Golden Tate have underwhelmed in spot duty this season.
Carroll has to be pleased, then, that the 49ers made this switch earlier in the week.
