Seahawks S Kam Chancellor likely done for the year with neck injury

Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor had a terrific game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 10, but it ended with a neck injury that will likely end his 2017 season, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.

Chancellor, 29, finished his last game with a season-high 10 tackles, one forced fumble and stopped Adrian Peterson dead in his tracks for a safety. But he left the game on a cart and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told reporters he suffered a stinger in the win.

The loss of the four-time Pro Bowl strong safety is exacerbated by the fact that the Seahawks also lost cornerback Richard Sherman in Week 10 to an Achilles tear.

What does this mean for the Seahawks? The team has leaned on defense during the Carroll era in Seattle, but the loss of both Sherman and Chancellor means the end of an era for the Seahawks. It’s now up to Russell Wilson — who has accounted for an unprecedented 82.1 percent of the Seahawks offense — to carry the team in 2017 and beyond.

For now, the Seahawks defense will turn to backups in the secondary. That likely means Jeremy Lane and/or Justin Coleman at cornerback, and possibly Delano Hill at strong safety.

Hill was a third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and has been active for eight games so far as a rookie, but hasn’t yet appeared on the stat sheet. The other option is Bradley McDougald, a fifth-year safety, who stepped in as a starter during the recent absence of Earl Thomas. However, the difference between a strong safety and free safety is stark in Seattle’s Cover 3 defense.

What does this mean for Kam Chancellor? The 29-year-old safety signed a four-year, $43.13 million contract with the Seahawks in August, so unless he shockingly retires or the team inexplicably begins making wholesale changes on defense, he’ll be back.

The bigger question is whether he’ll continue to be the same force with the Legion of Boom’s window closing. Even if he returns to form, it’s possible Sherman and Thomas won’t, and that could have a domino effect for the entire Seahawks defense.