Getty The Seahawks have placed both Russell Wilson and Chris Carson on Injured Reserve.
The Seattle Seahawks have made a major decision about two offensive stars. The team has placed both Russell Wilson and Chris Carson on Injured Reserve. Now both players will miss at least the next three games, starting with the trip to Pittsburgh.
The Seahawks issued a press release on Friday, October 15, confirming that both players will head to Injured Reserve. Wilson injured his middle finger against the Rams on October 7 and underwent surgery the following day. Carson, on the other hand, continues to deal with a lingering neck issue that kept him sidelined against the Rams.
“It’s better for us to get him back and make sure that we don’t rush it back, and so we’re going to just take this time. It is a delicate thing,” Carroll said about Carson, per ESPN. “He’s got something going on in his neck, so we’ve got to make sure that we do it really well, so we’re going to take care of him. This just seems like the right decision.”
With both Carson and Wilson going on IR prior to the game against the Steelers, this game will count as one of the mandatory three. The next games on the schedule — both at Lumen Field — will take place against the Saints and Jaguars. The Seahawks have a bye in Week 9, so the earliest Carson and Wilson can return is Week 10 against the Packers.
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The Seahawks Will Continue to Rely on Alex Collins
When head coach Pete Carroll told media members that Carson would head to Injured Reserve, he provided some other updates about the backfield. Most notably, he said that Collins will continue to serve as the starter after he led the offense against the Rams with 47 rushing yards and 25 receiving yards.
While Collins leads the backfield, the Seahawks will prepare for the return of Rashaad Penny. The former first-round pick landed on Injured Reserve just before Week 4 with a calf injury that has lingered since the season-opening win over the Indianapolis Colts. Carroll said that Penny could return to practice next week when he is eligible to come back from Injured Reserve.
While the Seahawks wait for Penny to return, they will move forward with Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas serving as the primary backups to Collins. The two men combined for five carries and 12 rushing yards against the Rams.
Wilson’s Consecutive Starts Streak Comes to an End
With Wilson set to miss the first game of his NFL career, he will watch as his consecutive starts streak comes to an end. He had started 165 consecutive games, dating back to Week 1 of his rookie season, a 20-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Prior to the injury to his finger, Wilson had the longest active streak among quarterbacks with 149 regular-season starts. This streak was also the sixth-longest in NFL history. Hall of Famer Brett Favre holds the record with 297 consecutive starts. Philip Rivers (240), Eli Manning (210), Peyton Manning (208), and Matt Ryan (154) are the only quarterbacks ahead of him.
Once Wilson is healthy, he will have the opportunity to once again chasing down the quarterbacks ahead of him. Tom Brady has already proven that he can come back from an injury and start more than 100 consecutive games. He holds the ninth and 10th spots on the consecutive list with 111 starts from 2001-2008 and 112 from 2009-2016.
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