The Seattle Seahawks are preparing for a crucial matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but with a delicate situation in their secondary. The team will travel to Pittsburgh with several important absences, which represents a challenge to face players of the stature of Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf.
Key Defensive Losses
Star cornerback Devon Witherspoon has been listed as “questionable” due to a knee injury. In addition, rookie safety Nick Emmanwori is ruled out with a sprained ankle. Although Julian Love is expected to play, he is also dealing with a groin injury that kept him out of practice on Thursday and limited him on the other two training days of the week.Important Return on the Defensive Line
A positive piece of news is the return of outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, who will make his debut in the 2025 season after missing much of the preseason and the first game due to knee surgery. Witherspoon’s injury occurred in the final quarter of the opening game against the San Francisco 49ers. Although he was able to finish the game, he was unable to practice all week. Coach Mike Macdonald believes the injury will not be long-lasting. Emmanwori, a second-round selection who was expected to have a significant role in the season as the third safety, was injured on the first offensive series. Macdonald mentioned that, for the moment, there are no plans to place Emmanwori on the injured reserve list, which would force him to miss at least four games. The Seahawks hope his absence won’t be so prolonged, although Macdonald wasn’t completely sure about the recovery time. Previously, coach Macdonald did not want to confirm whether Riq Woolen would start against Pittsburgh after some difficulties in the game against San Francisco. However, with Witherspoon’s likely absence, Woolen seems likely to remain in the starting lineup, with Shaquill Griffin as the next option at the cornerback position. Nwosu, who took a pay cut to stay with the Seahawks, will likely have a limit on the number of plays he will participate in on Sunday.We’ll see how many plays, but Chenna will make his debut. We are very excited. He has worked very hard, he is training very well. Very happy for him, for the work he has done. We had an initial schedule and he has exceeded it, so I’m looking forward to seeing him play.
Mike Macdonald
