Health of several players key factor in Seahawks vs 49ers

The NFL is a season of attrition, and an unfortunate reality is that the teams fighting for it all in the end are also typically the healthiest. Talent and scheme and an ability to adapt are vital, but so too is staying on the field, and for a number of players the season ends too soon and in heartbreak. Those able to make it through a complete season nurse nagging injuries between Sundays.

Macdonald Preview: ‘Sense of urgency’ high for Seattle Seahawks

For some players, though, the season is just beginning. They’ve spent weeks recovering from surgery and months rehabbing. They’ve spent countless hours undergoing therapies and treatments, removing scar tissue, or worse, for some, having a gut-wrenching setback.

And all the while, they’ve watched their teammates the way all of us do: from home.

This Sunday’s matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks will feature a few players who have only recently returned or will be making their season debuts.

For Seattle, right tackle Abe Lucas could suit up for the first time since December 31, 2023. Lucas was a breakout star, a true surprise, for a Seattle team in 2022 that suddenly looked to have found two pillars at tackle, a welcomed sight for a club that struggled with consistency on the offensive line for a decade. But a knee issue limited Lucas to six games in 2023 and off the field entirely through 10 weeks this season.

Is it fair to see him as a savior for an offensive line that’s struggled this season? Absolutely not. He hasn’t played a snap for almost a year. But it’s enough to provide hope for a team stuck in limbo: they have 6% odds to make the postseason according to ESPN Stats & Info but are also just 1 1/2 games back of first place in a tight NFC West race.

On the other side, running back Christian McCaffrey will start in his second game of the season. The 49ers most versatile weapon spent months working back from Achilles tendonitis. San Francisco has remained one of the league’s top rushing teams without him but have faltered in a few key areas where his talent stands out; namely, red-zone scoring, where they rank near the bottom of the league.

In his season debut last week against Tampa Bay, McCaffrey had just 39 yards on 13 attempts, but had a more prolific day as a pass catcher, hauling in six of seven targets for 68 yards.

“He was on the field more than I thought he was going to be,” NBC Sports Bay Area’s Jennifer Lee Chan said of McCaffrey’s usage. “I thought they were going to ease him in a little bit more, but he was on the field for almost 90% of snaps. So while they’ve had really good production out of (Jordan) Mason and Isaac Guerendo, they really leaned on Christian McCaffrey.”

Health updates on two key starters

Two other starters who have already played this season are facing injury questions of their own, both good and bad. Seattle receiver DK Metcalf (knee) has missed two games but practiced fully Thursday. Meanwhile, 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa (hip) has missed two days of practice.

“It’s probably the worst thing I’ve had to play through,” Bosa told reporters. “But, hopefully, I’m able to rest up this week and get back out there.”

Related: Nick Bosa misses a 2nd practice ahead of 49ers-Seahawks game

The mindset of a returning player

Coming back from a serious injury isn’t easy. The experience for Seahawks safety Jerrick Reed II probably isn’t too dissimilar from the experience for Lucas and McCaffrey.

“They say you always get back to like 90 or 95%, and that last 10 to 5% comes from you trusting that it’s healed,” Reed told The Huddle Thursday. “For me, I didn’t want to go out there with nerves of, ‘Oh, I might get hurt again.’ Because once you starting thinking like that, injuries happen.

“And bad plays happen. So, for me, I was just happy, man. Just blessed to be back out there. Because if you go on without something for so long that you loved, you finally get a chance to get back out there. And y’all know how the league is, man. Guys don’t come back for real. Guys get cut. Guys get waived. Guys don’t ever touch the field again. So, to miss a year, come back and have my spot waiting for me, man, I appreciate the organization and just have to go out there and show them why they waited on me.”

More on Seattle Seahawks

• Seahawks Breakdown: Close look at second-half schedule
• NFL insider Daniel Jeremiah reacts to Seahawks cutting Tyrel Dodson
• What are realistic expectations for Abe Lucas in potential return?
• Lefko: Seahawks at crossroads as a franchise, with Geno at the center
• Seattle Seahawks are in a rebuild, whether they call it that or not

Follow @stacyrost