Michael Dixon
The Seattle Seahawks were without safety Earl Thomas for Week 9’s loss to the Washington Redskins. All signs point to him being out for Thursday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Pete Carroll said Earl Thomas is doubtful for tomorrow's game. #Seahawks
— John Boyle (@johnpboyle) November 8, 2017
As far as Week 10 goes, this is a blow.
The Seahawks allowed a respectable 17 points in Week 9 to the Redskins. But on Washington’s final drive, Kirk Cousins completed two passes for 69 yards to set up Rob Kelley’s one-yard touchdown run that ultimately won the game. Thomas certainly could have made an impact there.
Even with that in mind, this certainly isn’t a surprise given the short week.
Seattle could well overcome Thomas’ absence to beat Arizona. But even if that doesn’t happen, the last thing that anyone with the Seahawks would want would be for Thomas to play, get reinjured, and then miss significant time over the season’s final two months. The defense’s regression in his absence during the 2016 season left no doubt as to how important Thomas is to the unit.
Thomas’ absence may not cost Seattle the game. But even if it does, having Thomas down the stretch would be an adequate trade-off.
