Marshawn Lynch missed his team’s first playoff game this season. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, he will not miss its second.
Rapoport reported Saturday during NFL Network’s “NFL GameDay Morning” the Seattle Seahawks running back will be active for Sunday’s divisional-round matchup with the Carolina Panthers.
“Marshawn Lynch will play, and really the best news is just that he’s there,” Rapoport said. “He got on the bus and then arrived (at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte) and got off the bus, and you know once Marshawn Lynch is in the building, he is going to play.
“He really did not feel right at all last week, but this week, I’m told, Seattle really pushed him just to make sure that his abdomen after the sports hernia surgery was feeling good. It is feeling good, so you’re going to see the real Beast Mode on the field (Sunday).”
With Lynch sidelined, no Seahawks running back gained more than 70 yards on the ground in Seattle’s 10-9 wild-card round win over the Minnesota Vikings. The five-time Pro Bowler has played in just seven games this season and has not seen action since Nov. 15.
Carolina, which finished the regular season with an NFL-best 15-1 record, rallied for a 27-23 win over Seattle back in Week 6. The Seahawks had the upper hand the last time these teams met in the playoffs, however, winning 31-17 in the divisional round last season en route to their second consecutive NFC title.
Thumbnail photo via Kelley L Cox/USA TODAY Sports Images
