Following the Seattle Seahawks' 14-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Pete Carroll shared the latest injury updates about his team.
The lone injury from Sunday's contest was to tight end Luke Willson, who left the game early with a knee injury.
"He's got a first-degree sprain they said," Carroll said in his postgame press conference. "Knee sprain."
This was Willson's second game after returning from a knee injury he sustained against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6.
"They don't think it's bad, but they're going to have to check it out and do the MRI," Carroll said. "It's not the same thing … it's the same knee, but a different issue."
Despite missing practice time during the week, center Justin Britt was active, albeit in a reserve role with rookie Joey Hunt getting his first career start. Carroll said that Britt could have played against the Buccaneers if needed.
"Justin did make it back to where he could have played in an emergency situation," Carroll said. "He did pretty well in his pregame, but he didn't practice the snap all week long. We didn't want to play him, we wanted to see if we could get him right and get him back out there."
Several key starters were inactive for the Seahawks in Tampa, including free safety Earl Thomas (hamstring), defensive end Michael Bennett (knee) and cornerback DeShawn Shead (hamstring). When asked if any of those three will be available when Seattle hosts the Carolina Panthers next weekend, Carroll was optimistic.
"Yes, both have a chance," Carroll said regarding the chances of Thomas and Shead returning from their hamstring injuries.
"Mike Bennett has a chance, we're kind of counting on Mike jumping out and practicing next week," he added.
Additionally, Carroll said linebacker Mike Morgan — who was placed on injured reserve after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia earlier this season — will return next week.
"Mike Morgan comes back next week, too," Carroll said.
RELATED
Check out some actions photos from Week 12 vs Tampa Bay at Raymond James Stadium.
