The Seattle Seahawks will head into Week 17 with a relatively healthy squad, which includes the return of two key defensive starters, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and cornerback Shaquill Griffin.
“That’s huge,” coach Pete Carroll said on Friday. “It’s a huge deal. I mean, our top cover guy and a top rusher. That’s a big deal. It’s great to have those guys back out.”
Seattle is without two pieces of their offense, receiver Malik Turner and left tackle Duane Brown, and will probably be without safety Quandre Diggs – barring a miracle – but the return of Griffin and Clowney is a huge boost to a defense that has struggled the past few weeks.
Clowney missed Seattle’s last two games with a core muscle injury, an injury that also kept him out in Week 12. His return is certainly not a welcome one for San Francisco, who saw him record five solo tackles, five quarterback hits, one sack and one fumble recovery for a touchdown in the Week 10 overtime thriller between these two squads.
“He was unbelievable that game,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told Seattle media members on Tuesday. “We know he’s going to bring that type of effort and talent this time on Sunday and we’ve got to make sure we’re at our best so we try to limit some of the plays he makes.”
Griffin is in the midst of a Pro Bowl caliber season, with 59 combined tackles and 13 passes defended. He had six of those tackles and two of those passes defended against San Francisco in Week 10.
Having both Griffin and Clowney back in the mix for Seattle gives them a much better chance of sweeping the 49ers and winning the NFC West outright, giving them a top three seed in the NFC playoffs.
