On Sunday night the Seattle Seahawks dropped a thriller of a game to the San Francisco 49ers, coming up just short of a go-ahead touchdown in the waning seconds. The 26-21 final gave the 49ers the NFC West division title, a first round bye and home field advantage through the playoffs, and dispatched the Hawks to go on the road to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
However, it looks like the game cost the Seahawks one of their starting linebackers, as it appears Mychal Kendricks is likely done for the year.
Sources: #Seahawks LB Mychal Kendricks is believed to have torn his ACL. He’ll have an MRI to confirm, but a huge loss for Seattle as they march on into the playoffs.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 30, 2019
Kendricks is set to be a free agent after playing 2019 on a one year contract signed last spring. Kendricks would be the second relatively notable name to tear an ACL in recent weeks, following Rashaad Penny. Add in Justin Britt tearing his ACL in Week 8 against the Atlanta Falcons, and it’s been a rough couple of months.
While it seems likely the team will replace Kendricks with rookie Cody Barton in base defense, most fans will likely ve more interested in learning whether this means the team will increase the amount of time it spends in nickel. The Hawks used base personnel more than any other team in the NFL this season, and fans have been clamoring for an increase in its usage.
In any case, this is certainly something to watch for when the Eagles and Seahawks face off next Sunday.