The Seahawks can still make a run at the playoffs, can still win the NFC West and can even still claim a first round bye.

But the injuries are mounting — and Monday’s game against Atlanta will show us just how badly they’re impacting Seattle’s chances.

Kam Chancellor has been ruled out already, amid reports from the NFL Network that he’s out for the season. Pete Carroll tempered those reports during his press conference today:

Pete Carroll on NFL Network report Kam Chancellor "is expected" to miss rest of #Seahawks season: "I don't know where that's coming from." Says team, he's weighing their options. Nothing determined pic.twitter.com/2ZnW4iRA7u — Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) November 18, 2017

It’s often said the healthiest teams are the ones who prosper. The NFL is a war of attrition. Surviving and being balanced are as important as anything.

Seattle’s roster has been hammered by injuries. And there’s still seven games to go.

No Cliff Avril, no Richard Sherman and now possibly no Kam Chancellor.

Add this to the Luke Joeckel, Duane Brown, Jarran Reed, Chris Carson, Malik McDowell and other injuries.

It’ll be hard to criticise anything the Seahawks do the rest of the way in 2017. Imagine how ineffective the Rams would be if they suddenly had to deal with the following:

— Todd Gurley broken leg

— Andrew Whitworth bad ankle

— Trumaine Johnson torn achilles

— Robert Quinn neck injury

— Roger Saffold knee surgery

— Lamarcus Joyner neck injury

Then have Jared Goff have his jaw reset as Russell Wilson did this week. Let’s also say Aaron Donald misses a couple of games too as Earl Thomas just did.

The Rams would struggle to survive such a long list of key injuries.

Instead it’s the Seahawks needing to cling on.

The season really comes down to Wilson and his ability to keep the offense ticking along. They need to become what they’ve never really been under Carroll — a team dependant on the quarterback.

They can’t lean on the run. They might not be able to rely on the great defense. Indeed the biggest impact might be felt on the run defense. Chancellor and Sherman so often helped set the edge against the run and teams weren’t able to misdirect to the edge because of their tackling form. Now? It’s going to be a real test.

They might give up more pass plays too. Teams will want to test the cornerbacks more than ever. That could create some opportunities and it might be to Seattle’s benefit — but only if the DB’s can make the plays.

It’s not all bad of course. The front seven remains as good as any in the league and Bobby Wagner should be a candidate for defensive MVP. Earl Thomas is still the best safety in the NFL.

Wilson and the offense still might need to score more points. It’s some relief that so far they haven’t suffered any major injuries to the TE’s and WR’s. Getting Duane Brown healthy and on the field is vital.

Wilson has always been good enough to lead the team forward. His connection with the players he’s throwing too has never been more efficient or important.

LA has a difficult run of games coming up. They might win some of those — but Seattle’s road win against the Rams and current 3-0 record in the NFC West works in their favour. They could, quite easily, be #1 in the West by the end of this weeks games.

Monday is such a big night. The Seahawks need to, somehow, fight through the adversity and make a statement that their season is still very much alive.

As for Chancellor’s injury — there’s no denying it’s another huge setback. Hopefully this neck injury isn’t the end of his playing career. Ditto Cliff Avril. One thing is sure though — we’re talking about two warriors here. It’ll need to be very, very serious for either to walk away under these circumstances — without going out on top.

Either way though, it does feel like we’re edging closer to the end of an era in Seattle. The aggressive trades felt like this was a team trying to get another Championship, possibly ahead of inevitable change at the end of 2017 or 2018.

That’s a discussion for another day. With seven games to go, it’s time for new stars to emerge. Or for one quarterback to prove once and for all he’s right at the top of his craft.

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