RENTON — The Seattle Seahawks will be without one of their three running backs Sunday after rookie Rashaad Penny was ruled out with a knee injury.
Penny, linebacker K.J. Wright and safety Maurice Alexander were all listed as out Friday. Another trio of key players was listed as questionable for the game in San Francisco, but wide receiver Doug Baldwin, defensive tackle Jarran Reed and safety Bradley McDougald are all expected to play, said coach Pete Carroll.
“I’m healthy to go. I’m going to go. They’re planning for me to play,” said Baldwin, who will face friend and former teammate Richard Sherman for the second time in three weeks.
Baldwin missed Monday’s win over Minnesota with groin and hip issues. He also missed a large chunk of training camp due to a knee injury, two games in September with a separate knee injury and he has played through both groin and hip issues. Seattle’s passing game struggled against the Vikings without him. Russell Wilson threw for a career-low 72 yards and was 10 of 20 passing.
Baldwin said the latest issue with his hip popped up the Friday before Seattle’s first game against the 49ers. He was still able to play two days later and had two catches, including a touchdown.
“This was a combination of stuff so it was like, all right we’ve got to figure it out and get it handled. … I couldn’t go (against Minnesota) and we were doing things to try and get me healthy again,” Baldwin said.
Carroll said Penny would remain in Seattle to get treatment through the weekend. The team hopes to have a clearer picture of his situation when it begins prep for next week’s game against Kansas City. Penny made it through last Monday’s game against the Vikings but his knee was bothering him later that night.
“He feels pretty good. He just couldn’t get going this week,” Carroll said. “The rest over the weekend and the stuff that they’re doing will probably show us something by Tuesday. By the time we get to practice on Wednesday we’ll have a better feel.”
The Seahawks are also hopeful that Wright will be ready to play by next week. Wright will also remain in Seattle to receive treatment on his troublesome knee that has caused him to miss 10 games this season.
