Lynch will be evaluated on Tuesday but it’s unlikely he’ll be able to play this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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Suddenly helping to rediscover the identity of the underachieving Seahawks was resting in part with the rookie.
Rawls said Lynch came to him before the game Sunday and said, “Look young’un, I’m going to pass you the torch for the day”. “I just took advantage of every opportunity”. “Whether that be because he’s a great running back or we just missed a ton of assignments, it is what it is”.
The Seahawks strung together several long drives, held the ball 15 minutes longer than San Francisco and, most of all, rookie Thomas Rawls ran for 209 yards, more than any rusher ever has gained against the 49ers in franchise history. 500 and found a little bit of what’s been missing.
The progress of a line featuring new starters at three spots has been a constant source of conversation this season as the Seahawks have gotten off to a surprisingly meandering start. Running back Thomas Rawls had two first-down runs in the next four plays and quarterback Russell Wilson took three kneel-downs to end the game.
The tone was set by the rookie and his teammates followed.
Coach Pete Carroll said Friday that he thought Lynch would be available, just as he was against Arizona after being listed as questionable when he developed the strain in practice the previous Thursday. Rawls caught the rollout throw from Wilson, stiff-armed Michael Wilhoite and raced for the first receiving touchdown of his career.
Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, who missed his third game of the season Sunday, will be in Philadelphia on Monday to meet with core-muscle expert William Meyers to determine if he has a sports hernia that requires surgery. Only Doug Martins and Adrian Peterson ran over 200 yards in this season’s NFL. When it came to recalling the last time he rushed for 200 yards in a game, all Rawls could remember was that it happened at Central MI. In addition to the 255 total yards from scrimmage, Rawls also added two touchdowns, one through the air and one on the ground.
Rawls may be getting that chance sooner than expected. He played through the injury in last week’s loss to the Cardinals but was limited to just eight carries.
Tomsula said that the 49ers had prepared for all the running backs on Seattle’s depth chart, including Rawls, and didn’t see anything different from what the team had studied.
But he also said he has full confidence in Rawls to carry the weight the rest of the way if needed. Gabbert is now 37-for-59 passing this season for 449 yards and three touchdowns along with two interceptions. Lockett bulled his tiny frame into the end zone on the second of his TD catches, carrying a San Francisco defender on his back.
Drafted to be a returner, Lockett’s becoming a bigger factor as a receiver.
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San Francisco showed it had some bite left when it won the third quarter by converting two field goals to Seattle’s one. Gabbert was 22 of 34 for 264 yards.
