Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch left the sidelines early with still over a minute to play in Seattle’s 30-21 loss to the San Diego Chargers on Sunday.
Head coach Pete Carroll said Monday the reason for Lynch’s early departure was due to a sore back that tightened up late in the game.
“It’s an ongoing issue for him for years,” Carroll said. “It’s something we’re always monitoring”
Lynch did not practice with the Seahawks on Wednesday due to his back issue.
Lynch has only missed one game with Seattle since being acquired in a trade from the Buffalo Bills in October 2010. He was a scratch from Seattle’s 6-3 loss to the Cleveland Browns in 2011 after having back spasms before the game.
Lynch frequently doesn’t practice on Wednesdays throughout the season and always finds a way to play on Sunday. The fact that the injury in question is Lynch’s back could be the one troubling issue for Seattle.
The Seahawks have grown increasingly more diligent on limiting his workload in practice to keep him fresh for games. Despite sitting out Wednesday, alarm bells over Lynch’s status for games should only go off if he misses multiple practices in a week.