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Brady HendersonESPN
Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Monday that pass-rusher Darrell Taylor appears to have avoided a serious injury after being stretchered off the field during Sunday night’s overtime loss to the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Carroll’s comments were based on the results of an MRI that Taylor had Monday following a CT scan Sunday night.
“A really, really positive report,” Carroll said. “His MRI stuff was clear. His CT scan stuff was clear. He does not have a neck injury. He got jammed pretty good. We got to wait and see what it’s like. It may be a little bit more in his shoulder even as we figure it out.”
Carroll said it’s not out of the question that Taylor plays when the Seahawks host the New Orleans Saints on Monday night.
“We’ll see how that goes,” Carroll said. “He’s got to have a good week to do that. I haven’t talked to Darrell since the MRI stuff came back. I talked to him last night … and he was very positive about it and all that. So we’ll see what happens. But a really, really good report, and I know a lot of people were really upset about that (Taylor being hurt) for good reason. Whenever they take a guy off like that, the threat is so huge. Anyway, he came out great, so we’ll hope for the best and he may have a chance to go this week.”
Taylor was injured in the fourth quarter and remained near midfield for several minutes before he was immobilized on a stretcher with his helmet still on and his face mask removed. Both teams circled around Taylor as he received medical attention.
He had movement in his extremities and flew back to Seattle with the team. Carroll said on his 710 ESPN Seattle radio show that Taylor wanted to get up while he was was being tended to and that he was upset at having to be taken off the field on a stretcher.
Taylor, a second-round draft pick last year out of Tennessee, missed his rookie season with a leg injury that dated back to his final college season. He has been Seattle’s best pass-rusher this season, leading the team with four sacks in the first five games. He had the Seahawks’ only official QB hit Sunday night.
The Seahawks also lost running back Alex Collins and guard Damien Lewis to injuries Sunday. Carroll said Collins took separate hits on a hip and glute and Lewis suffered an AC (acromioclavicular) joint sprain.
Carroll said Monday that it’s not out of the question that Collins can return this week, but the Seahawks won’t know his status for a couple of days.
“He got beat on pretty good,” Carroll said. “Cramped up a little bit, too. He had a little bit of everything happen … he just got a lot of wear and tear last night. He played a great football game for us and he was really tough. We’ll see what happens, but he didn’t have a significant injury.”
Collins ran for 101 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. He started for the second straight week in place of Chris Carson, who was placed on injured reserve Friday with a neck injury. Carson has to spend at least two more games on IR, as does quarterback Russell Wilson.
Carroll has no estimate on when Carson will be back. Asked if Wilson can return after Seattle’s Week 9 bye from finger surgery, Carroll said: “I don’t know that … the medical side of this thing. But I know Russell, and if it’s possible, it’s going to happen. If it’s possible, it’ll happen.”
Running back Rashaad Penny (calf) is returning off IR this week, per Carroll.