Seahawks Defensive Back Suffers Serious Knee Injury

Getty Marquise Blair has suffered a fractured kneecap.

The Seattle Seahawks have lost another important contributor to a significant injury. Safety Marquise Blair suffered a fractured kneecap during the 13-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Monday, October 25, and he will likely have to undergo surgery.

Head coach Pete Carroll provided the update on Tuesday, October 26, during his weekly appearance on 710 ESPN Seattle. “He had a patella injury so that his kneecap got fractured, so he’s going to have to get that cleaned up,” Carroll said, per the Seahawks website.

Carroll also spoke about Blair during his postgame press conference on October 25. He told reporters in the immediate aftermath that the safety hurt his patellar and that there is “something we got to do there.”

Blair suffered the injury during a drive midway through the fourth quarter. Saints quarterback Jameis Winston attempted a pass in the direction of Tre’Quan Smith, but the ball fell to the turf due to the wide receiver not turning around. The officials threw a penalty flag and called Smith for offensive pass interference after he sent Blair to the ground. The safety remained on the field, clutching his knee before the training staff came onto the field.

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Blair Suffered a Season-Ending Knee Injury in 2020

With Blair suffering a fractured kneecap, he will miss a considerable amount of time for the second consecutive season. He only appeared in two games in 2020 due to a separate knee injury.

The former second-round pick tore his ACL in Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season, a 35-30 win over the New England Patriots. He exited the game with what Carroll called a “fairly serious injury” and did not return. The head coach later met with reporters and said that the second-year player would undergo an MRI to see the extent of the damage.

“It’s a knee injury, and I don’t know how serious it is,” Carroll said on September 20, 2020, per Seahawks.com. “I know you’re trying to ask a regular question there. Yeah, he has a knee injury and he’s going to get an MRI, and we’ll find out what it is. I’m sick about it. This guy is just getting started, just getting going with us. It’s a real shame. It’s probably fairly serious, because they had to help him off the field and all that stuff.”

Blair underwent surgery and missed the remainder of the season while Ugo Amadi started several games. Now the Seahawks will prepare once again for a future without Blair as he recovers from the knee injury suffered against the Saints.

The Seahawks Should Get Other Injured Players Back in Week 8

While Carroll confirmed that Blair suffered a significant injury during the loss to the Saints, he also provided an optimistic outlook about the return of some other players. Carroll said that he expects both defensive end Darrell Taylor and guard Damien Lewis to return.

Lewis suffered a shoulder injury during the October 17 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was initially questionable to return, but the team finished out the game with Jamarco Jones in his spot. Taylor, on the other hand, suffered what appeared to be a neck injury in the same game. He left the field on a cart and went to the hospital for further evaluation, but he avoided any serious issues.

Carroll told reporters in the week leading up to the Saints game that Taylor could potentially return to the lineup while recovering from more of a shoulder issue. Though he clarified that Taylor would have to have a good week before returning. The Seahawks ultimately made him inactive for the October 26 game, but he should be back in the lineup against the Jaguars on October 31.

“They were so close this week that both those guys should make it back,” Carroll said on October 26. “It’s a bit of a short week, but I’m counting on both of those guys to make it. I’ll be surprised if they don’t.”

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