Report: Kam Chancellor, Seattle’s tone-setting safety, may be out for the season

The Seattle Seahawks have had an unreal run of terrible injury luck this year, losing offensive linemen, their lone effective rookie running back, and then Richard Sherman for the year. Now it appears that Kam Chancellor may not just miss the game against the Falcons this Monday night, as was previously reported, but may be on the shelf for the rest of the season.

You can’t overstate what a brutal loss this would be for Seattle, which has had one of the best secondaries in the NFL for years now. Without their top cornerback and the always terrific Chancellor, plus a surprisingly mediocre pass rush, their defense is probably no longer an elite unit. Pair that with Russell Wilson’s jaw injury—more on that a little later—and the possibility that left tackle Duane Brown will be out, and you are talking about an injured, diminished Seattle team. They still have the talent to make the playoffs, but it’s going to be an uphill battle.

The Falcons can’t afford to take Seattle for granted—not that they would, given that it’s a primetime game and Dan Quinn’s former team—and they really need to get this win. It’ll put them in a better position in the NFC playoff hunt, and given the number of injuries Seattle’s facing, there are very few reasons not named “Russell Wilson” or “difficult road environment” for a Falcons loss.