Shelby Harris won’t play against Panthers due to the flu

It was reported late Saturday that the Seattle Seahawks expected they would be without Ken Walker and DeeJay Dallas when they faced off against the Carolina Panthers in Week 14 needing a win to stay in playoff seeding.

However, what was not expected was that the team could be forced to play against the Panthers without their best defensive lineman, Shelby Harris. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, though, it appears as though the illness that has made its way through the Seattle locker room in recent weeks will keep Harris off the field.

There has been no shortage of Hawks players who have missed practice time in recent weeks, and running back Travis Homer was held out of the Week 13 win over the Los Angeles Rams in part due to illness, in addition to a knee injury. However, with the short week prior to a matchup against the division rival San Francisco 49ers that will be crucial to the division title hopes of the Seahawks, letting Harris rest and recover to as close to full strength before Thursday makes sense.