Seahawks RB Thomas Rawls done for the season with broken ankle

The Seattle Seahawks were considered a Super Bowl sleeper as they came into Baltimore on a hot streak.

The one thing that can cool a team off are some key injuries, and Seattle suffered a big one in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens. 

Running back Thomas Rawls went back to the locker room with an ankle injury and was ruled out, and after the game the Seahawks announced that Rawls has a broken ankle. He’s done for the season. The Seahawks beat an overmatched Baltimore Ravens team 35-6, but the Rawls injury could have a big impact on the rest of their season.

It would’ve been impossible to guess months ago that a serious injury to Rawls would be such a big deal to the Seahawks. He was an undrafted rookie behind Marshawn Lynch to start this season. But Lynch had sports hernia surgery a few weeks ago, and the Seahawks have not set a timetable for his return.

Rawls had been the more effective back this season. He came into Sunday’s game with 786 yards and a 5.6-yard average. Fred Jackson took his spot at tailback Sunday. He was even getting offensive rookie of the year buzz, and rightfully so. The Seahawks offense looked rejuvenated once he replaced Lynch in the lineup. Now the Seahawks have to go on without him, and presumably Lynch for a while longer too.

It took a while for the Seahawks to heat up this season, and they improved to 8-5 with a great shot at an NFC wild-card spot. But losing Rawls won’t help.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab