The Seattle Seahawks are not having the best of starts this 2015 National Football League (NFL) regular season but might be getting the help they need as running back Marshawn Lynch is expected to return from a hamstring injury this Sunday.
Seattle will take on the unbeaten Carolina Panthers on Oct. 18 at home for Week 6 action.
Lynch, for the first time since joining the Seahawks in 2010, has missed the team's past two games, which saw them win over the Detroit Lions (13–10) in Week 4 and lose last Sunday to another undefeated team in the NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals (27–24).
But the absence will likely come to an end as Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said in a press conference last Monday that Lynch is set to return to practice this Thursday.
"He's supposed to be back, yeah. He had a good workout today and he should be on track for Thursday," Carroll said.
In the 29-year-old running back's absence, rookie Thomas Rawls has been stepping up, having 58 carries for 326 yards (5.6 yards per rush attempt) and one touchdown in five games played this season.
The return of Lynch will be big for the struggling Seahawks since he has been an efficient offensive player and was a major contributor to the franchise's success in the past two seasons.
This season, Lynch was limited by the injury to only three games so far, having 38 carries for 128 yards and zero touchdowns.
In the 2014 season, the five-time Pro Bowler had 280 carries for 1,306 yards and a career-best 13 touchdowns.
But Lynch is not the only Seahawks player who is dealing with an injury, as linebacker Bobby Wagner sustained a pectoral muscle strain in their game against the Bengals.
Wagner left the game but returned and continued playing, although it is still unclear if he will play against the Panthers.
Carroll is not worried that Wagner's injury will keep the linebacker out for a long time, saying in the press conference, "I would think from what I hear, maybe it's a couple weeks if it doesn't respond. But he might be able to play this week too, so we'll wait and see."
