Geno Smith, Ken Walker III Good to Go For Seahawks vs. Vikings

From a starter standpoint, all hands will be on deck as the Seahawks battle for their playoff lives against the Vikings in Week 16.

Nov 24, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith (7) hands the ball off to running back Kenneth Walker III (9) during the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

After practicing in full on Thursday and Friday, the Seattle Seahawks will have quarterback Geno Smith and running back Ken Walker III in the starting lineup ready to roll when they face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at Lumen Field.

Despite exiting last week's 31-13 loss to the Packers in the third quarter with a knee injury and being unable to check back in the game, tests confirmed Smith didn't suffer any structural damage and he returned to practice on Wednesday without any limitations. The Seahawks didn't place an injury designation on him on Friday after he told reporters on Thursday that he was "improving every day."

"I really wanted to get back out there on Sunday, but, you know, these things happen, man," Smith said. "Everybody is going to fight through something. I want to be the guy who's known for pushing through. I want to finish the season on the right note. I want to make sure we get every opportunity we can to close it out the right way."

As for Walker, the third-year runner missed the past two games with a calf injury and though he didn't practice on Wednesday, he returned as a full participant on Thursday and didn't suffer any setbacks. Like Smith, he didn't receive a final designation on Seattle's injury report, so he should be good to go against Minnesota and ready to handle to significant workload out of the backfield.

Additionally, the Seahawks didn't give center Olu Oluwatimi or running back Zach Charbonnet a final injury designation either, meaning both will be expected to play on Sunday as well. Oluwatimi sat out the final three quarters of last week's game with a knee injury and was replaced by rookie Jalen Sundell, while Charbonnet cropped up on the injury report on Wednesday with an oblique strain and missed one practice before being limited on Thursday.

On defense, after missing the previous two games with a hamstring injury, reserve cornerback Tre Brown also was omitted from the injury report and should dress as a backup behind Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon, and Josh Jobe.

While Seattle didn't list any players as questionable or doubtful, tight end Brady Russell and outside linebacker Trevis Gipson were ruled out with foot and ankle injuries. Russell has now missed four of the previous six games and could potentially be an injured reserve candidate with his injury not improving, while Gipson hasn't dressed since a Week 5 loss to the New York Giants as a healthy scratch and now will be inactive for injury-related reasons.

The Seahawks also will not activate safety K'Von Wallace from injured reserve this week, as he was ruled out despite practicing in full on Wednesday and Thursday. The team will have to make a decision on his status after Week 17, as he has one week remaining in his 21-day window returning to practice per NFL rules.

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