Two of the Seahawks' top defensive ends, Jadeveon Clowney and Ziggy Ansah, were both listed as questionable on Friday's injury report, but Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said there's a good chance both will be available for Sunday night's game against the Rams.
"They did practice enough this week where we feel good about it; we've got to check them out on gameday," Carroll said. "… They made it through practice, but we'll take them all the way though the pregame stuff to make sure everyone's OK."
Doubtful for Sunday's game in L.A. are tight end Luke Willson (hamstring) and fullback Nick Bellore (quadriceps), who both missed last week's game with due to injury, as well as Mychal Kendricks, who has a hamstring injury. Kendricks played with the injury last week, but Carroll noted that the strongside linebacker, who didn't practice all week, wasn't able to play the entire game against the Vikings, saying, "we just feel like we've got to get him back, we've got to make sure he's back to stay."
If Kendricks is indeed unable to play, that will mean that rookie Cody Barton would step in at strongside linebacker. The Seahawks' top backup at all three linebacker spots, Barton played 11 snaps at strongside linebacker in Kendricks' place last week, and has spelled K.J. Wright at weakside linebacker for an occasional series in recent games as well.
"Cody is a particularly diligent worker and a smart kid, plays all three spots," Carroll said. "He's a well-versed of a guy coming in as you could hope for for a young guy. We really don't have any hesitation in trusting that he can play."
Just how much Barton plays in this game, however, remains to be seen. The Seahawks have played a lot of base defense this year, but Carroll said the Rams' potent passing attack combined with Kendricks' likely absence could lead to the Seahawks playing more nickel defense this week.
"It may cause us to have to play more nickel and stuff like that," Carroll said. "But Cody's a good player, we're anxious to see him contribute. He played quite a bit last week, more than he has been, and he's ready to go."
Cornerback Neiko Thorpe, one of Seattle's top special teams players, had sports hernia surgery in Philadelphia this week and will end up on injured reserve at some point, Carroll said.
For the Rams, starting right tackle Rob Havenstein is doubtful due to a knee injury, while tight end Gerald Everett is out due to a knee injury.
Here are the full injury reports for both teams:
Seattle Seahawks
Out
CB Neiko Thorpe (core, did not participate in practice)
Doubtful
FB Nick Bellore (quadriceps, did not participate in practice)
TE Luke Willson (hamstring, did not participate in practice)
LB Mychal Kendricks (hamstring, did not participate in practice)
Questionable
DE Ziggy Ansah (neck, limited participation in practice)
DE Jadeveon Clowney (core, full participation in practice)
Los Angeles Rams
Out
TE Gerald Everett (knee, did not participate in practice)
Doubtful
T Rob Havenstein (knee, did not participate in practice)
