Seahawks rule out 6 players for Bills game that also sat out last week

It turns out the Seahawks are only a little more healthy than they were last week.

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Seattle ruled out six players when it released its injury report Friday afternoon for Sunday’s game at Buffalo, and those same six players took up all but one spot on the Seahawks’ inactive list in Week 8 against San Francisco. Click here to see Seattle’s full practice report.

The biggest absences will be the 1-2 combination at running back of Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde.

Carson suffered a foot sprain in a loss to Arizona in Week 7 while Hyde came out of that same game with a strained hamstring. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said in his Friday press conference that a decision wasn’t made on Carson until that day, adding that he didn’t suffer a setback and will just get another week to fully heal.

Today was going to be the day they decided whether Chris Carson (foot) would be ready. Chose to sit him. Carroll says instead they'll "take care of him, get him ready for next week." #Seahawks

— Stacy Jo Rost (@StacyRost) November 6, 2020

Rookie DeeJay Dallas, a fifth-round draft pick, assumed the duties of lead tailback against the 49ers, rushing for 41 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, and will likely do so again Sunday.

Seattle’s other running back, Travis Homer, isn’t fully healthy, either. He did not practice Wednesday and was limited Thursday and Friday with a knee injury. He is the Seahawks’ usual running back for passing situations on third down.

Seattle elevated Alex Collins from the practice squad on Saturday to add depth in the backfield just days after signing back their 2016 fifth-round pick.

The next most glaring absence is that of defensive end Benson Mayowa, who will miss his second straight game with an ankle injury. Mayowa has been Seattle’s best pass rusher but also has been playing more per game than ever before due to a lack of depth at the position. He has primarily been a rotational player in his career.

With Mayowa out, new Seahawks defensive end Carlos Dunlap, who was acquired from the Bengals in a trade last week, has a clear path to plenty of playing time in his team debut. Rasheem Green, Seattle’s sacks leader in 2019, is also set to return from a stint on injured reserve for a stinger.

In the secondary, starting cornerback Shaquill Griffin is out for the second straight week after sustaining a concussion and hamstring strain in Week 7, and nickel cornerback Ugo Amadi will also miss another week with a hamstring issue. Tre Flowers and Quinton Dunbar served as Seattle’s starting corners against the 49ers, and D.J. Reed played well filling in for Amadi at the nickel spot in his first game since returning from an offseason injury.

Starting left guard Mike Iupati is the last player ruled out for Seattle. The 33 year old has missed the last three games with a back injury. Jordan Simmons has played in his place.

The good news for the Seahawks is that safety Jamal Adams is fully expected to return after four games out with a groin strain. He’s the only player from Seattle’s Week 8 inactives list to not be ruled out Friday for Sunday’s game in Buffalo. Carroll said Friday afternoon that Adams won’t be limited “at all” against the Bills.

In addition to the six players ruled out for Sunday, left tackle Duane Brown sat out Friday’s practice but is still expected to play. Along with Homer, three other players were limited in Friday’s practice: Reed (hamstring), safety Ryan Neal (hip) and wide receiver David Moore (ankle/back).

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