The Seattle Seahawks took care of business on Thursday Night Football with a 22-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals. But it came with a huge price as a key member of their famed “Legion of Boom” secondary saw his season come to an end due to injury.
Cornerback Richard Sherman suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during the game, head coach Pete Carroll announced afterwards. It happened with just under six minutes left in the third quarter as he was making a tackle on wide receiver John Brown.
As he alluded to on the sidelines, #Seahawks CB Richard Sherman does have a ruptured Achilles, coach Pete Carroll said. “The doctors were clear about it.” Ugh.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 10, 2017
Richard Sherman Suffers Ruptured Achilles in Seattle Seahawks Win on Thursday Night Football
Sherman didn’t return to the game and later on during the telecast, cameras revealed the 29-year-old fearing the worst. He was seen uttering the following words to his teammates on the sidelines: “I tore my Achilles.”
Richard Sherman: I tore my achilles pic.twitter.com/FvjfxxPQvF
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) November 10, 2017
The Seahawks listed Sherman on the injury report ahead of Thursday’s game due to lingering issues surrounding his Achilles. He was a non-participant during practices leading up to the contest against their NFC West rivals.
Until this setback, Sherman’s ability to avoid major injury during his career was as impressive as any player in the league. Since Seattle picked him in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft, the Stanford product played in every single regular season and playoff game for the Seahawks. That streak will come to an end at 116 games.
Sherman joined a list of three other Seahawks players who suffered injuries on Thursday. Second-year defensive tackle Jarran Reed (hamstring) and trade deadline acquisition at left tackle, Duane Brown (ankle), exited the game in the first half. Meanwhile, running back C.J. Prosise (ankle), like Sherman, had to leave the game in the third quarter.
What It Means
Losing Sherman certainly qualifies as a major blow to one of the league’s top secondaries. Heading into week ten’s tilt in Glendale, the seven-year veteran was tied with Earl Thomas for the team lead in 2017 with two interceptions. For his career, he has 32 picks which ranks fifth among active players. He’s also one of 12 active players to accrue over 100 pass breakups.
For now, a team clearly in the thick of the playoff race needs to embrace a “next man up” philosophy on Sherman’s side of the field. That likely entails Justin Coleman getting added reps. The un-drafted free agent out of Tennessee has seen action in all eight games, including two starts. He also registered a pick six in a 46-18 win over the Indianapolis Colts in week four.
