The Seattle Seahawks suffered a 21-19 loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams, dropping to 7-3. But even worse, rookie guard Grey Zabel was forced to leave the game with a knee injury.
Head coach Mike Macdonald isn't hitting the panic button just yet. But he is waiting to make a true declaration once all the information is available, via Greg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune.
“I'll say it's optimistic right now,” Macdonald said. “Initial news is really positive.”
“But let's get out of the fog here,” he concluded.
Zabel suffered his injury with just over two minutes remaining in the game. If he were to be out long-term, it would be a major blow for the Seahawks. But if Macdonald's early intuition proves right, perhaps Seattle fans can soon breathe a sign of relief.
The left guard has started all 10 game for the Seahawks, playing 98 percent of the snaps. Even as a rookie, Zabel has already entrenched himself as a difference maker of the present and future. There is still room for improvement, as evident by his 49.3 grade from Pro Football Focus.
But Seattle has allowed a league-low 10 sacks, something is clearly working. The Seahawks want Zabel protecting Sam Darnold and will be carefully monitoring his knee injury throughout the week.
Whether Zabel can play or not won't change Sam Darnold's ability to limit turnovers. His four interceptions against the Rams proved extremely costly. He'll certainly feel more comfortable in the pocket with Zabel protecting him. But the left guard can't do it on his own.
