Seahawks Unsure if Jadeveon Clowney, Jarran Reed Will Play vs. Vikings

Seattle remains optimistic Clowney will be able to return to action against Minnesota next week, but Reed won't be reassessed until later in the week.

Coming off another impressive defensive performance against the Eagles, the status of injured defensive stars Jadeveon Clowney and Jarran Reed remains up in the air as the Seahawks begin preparation for next week's showdown with the Vikings.

According to coach Pete Carroll, Clowney missed Sunday's game with a sports hernia-related issue and received treatment off campus last week. He met the team separately in Philadelphia and was ruled out before kickoff after sitting out practice all week.

The Seahawks will have to see how Clowney responds before he returns to action, but the player seems to have his sights set on playing in Week 13.

"We'll see how the treatment took hold, he feels pretty good today," Carroll told reporters on Monday. "I haven't talked to him directly, but he's passed along he's looking forward to playing this week."

When asked why Seattle didn't pursue treatment during its bye week, Carroll indicated the team wasn't quite sure how to diagnose the injury initially, which is common for sports hernias.

"We've been watching this for years with different guys, so it just took a while to realize that he's gonna need to at least get looked at by the specialist. We did that and so they tried to treat it with hopes they could quiet it down."

While Seattle sounds optimistic about Clowney's prognosis, the team will need to be prepared for the possibility he needs to sit out another week. Under those circumstances, Rasheem Green played well against Philadelphia and either he or Ziggy Ansah would start across from Quinton Jefferson.

As for Reed, the fourth-year defender re-aggravated an ankle injury in the second quarter of Sunday's victory and did not return. He left the stadium sporting a walking boot heading to the team charter bus.

Carroll doesn't anticipate Seattle knowing whether or not Reed will be able to play against Minnesota until at least Friday when he's re-evaluated.

"He's got a sprained ankle and we have to wait and see how it's going to hold him back or if he's going to make it through. We don't know that yet."

If Reed can't suit up against the Vikings, the Seahawks will likely revert back to the starting combination of Poona Ford and Al Woods, who started five games together while Reed served a six-game suspension. Jefferson could also see increased reps reduced inside at defensive tackle for additional depth.