Ravens hope to finish strong while preparing for next year

Carroll told 710 ESPN Seattle, “It’s a matter of getting back into shape”.

Seattle drafted Michael in the second round out of Texas A&M after he turned plenty of heads with 35 total touchdowns in four seasons. “Carl and I have been around the longest, and we’ve been through the most”. We’re developing these guys, what we’re going to be next year. We’ll see where he is. However, he never played for Seattle in a game before being released. DuJuan Harris and Bryce Brown will compete for the primary snaps, while Fred Jackson will be used as the third-down option.

“I’m going to have to watch the tape”, Clausen said. “We’re hoping that he’ll be able to make it back, and in the meantime, we’ve had to make some decisions and some choices that calls for us to make the moves that we’ve made”.

But in the process, Seattle lost promising rookie Thomas Rawls to a season-ending fractured ankle that came during the team’s first offensive possession.

But as 32-year-old DeAngelo Williams is proving with the Steelers, older running backs aren’t necessarily a liability. He has 226 carries for 1,004 yards. The Ravens’ young receivers had one of their best games holding onto the ball. He gives them some additional depth in the meantime. “We’re just dealing with the situation right now”, Carroll said.

In the meantime, the Seahawks still lead the league in rushing, and Carroll won’t change his approach even with Seattle’s top two backs out. And unlike years past, when Pete Carroll’s pragmatic philosophy dictated the team be built from its running game and pass defense, this year’s success starts with the passing offense.

– Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount injured his hip in the second quarter of a 27-6 win over Houston. Carroll said Wednesday there still is no timetable with regards to Lynch’s return. Playing in games against teams that are fighting to make the playoffs is going to be even tougher on us.

Until Lynch can return, the Seahawks will have to patchwork a running game together for the next few weeks.

SERIES HISTORY: 18th regular-season meeting all-time, fifth meeting since Browns revived in 1999. The Panthers are followed by the 11-2 Arizona Cardinals at No. 2, the 8-4 Green Bay Packers at No. 3, and the 6-7 Washington Redskins as the No. 4 team.

For fantasy purposes, he and Brown are both stashes. He had four games of more than 100 yards, including a Seahawks rookie-record 209-yard performance against San Francisco. Wilson also wasn’t sacked and hit just once all game. Jackson may not be as quick as he once was, but he is an adept pass blocker and receiver, so he adds an extra dynamic to the running back position. The quarterback is thriving right now making the most of Doug Baldwin and Tyler Lockett.

-Browns RB Isaiah Crowell vs. Seahawks defense. He has yet to see game action this season. Limiting the rushing game for Cleveland will put the game in the unproven hands of quarterback Johnny Manziel. The biggest thing for the Seahawks would be getting Lynch back on the field. Seattle hasn’t blocked a field goal since Red Bryant blocked David Akers’ field goal against the 49ers in December of 2012.