Seattle Seahawks' Marshawn Lynch is day-to-day

SEATTLE -- Running back Marshawn Lynch will be a day-to-day proposition this week for the Seahawks after not making the trip to Minnesota for Seattle's 10-9 victory over the Vikings on Sunday in the NFC wild-card round.

"We're just going to go one day at a time, see what happens, see how it goes," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "Get him out there practicing and see what that means. We don't know yet."

Lynch was a full participant in practice all last week before informing the team Friday afternoon he didn't feel ready to play against the Vikings. It was Lynch's first week back at practice after having abdominal surgery on Nov. 25 and spending several weeks away from the team in the San Francisco Bay Area to do rehab work.

Carroll said that Lynch didn't experience a setback in his recovery, that the running back just didn't feel he was going to be able to play after going through the week of practice.

"He just didn't feel like he could go. He really didn't have the confidence that he would be able to go," Carroll said. "He needs to feel that he can do (all the special) things, and even though he can run fast and look like he's moving, he didn't have the confidence that he could go out there, react to guys and do all that yet. There's nothing we can do about that."

Carroll had said Friday immediately after practice that he was "very optimistic" that Lynch would be able to play after watching him throughout the week. Then Lynch informed the team that he wasn't ready and remained behind as the team left for Minneapolis.

Lynch hasn't played since Nov. 15 against the Arizona Cardinals. He gained 417 yards on 111 carries and three touchdowns this season.

Running back Christine Michael had 70 yards on a career-high 21 carries to lead Seattle against the Vikings on Sunday.

--There may not be a less indicative stat line than the one compiled Sunday by Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett.

Officially, Bennett had three tackles, a quarterback hit and a pass defensed. However, his impact for Seattle went far beyond the quantifiable.

Bennett was a nightmare for the Vikings' offensive line. He was frequently blowing up running plays in the backfield by knifing between blockers. His ability to get into the backfield in an instant freed up defensive end Cliff Avril, defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin and linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright to finish off running back Adrian Peterson or pressure quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

"He's such a problem," Carroll said. "He was in the backfield all day long. He didn't really have the numbers, the big tackles and sacks and stuff like that, but he was a big factor. They couldn't block him."

Bennett's instincts lead him to take chances in Seattle's defense. His assignment may call for one thing, but if he believes he knows what play is coming, he will try to attack a perceived weak point in the opposing offense. Every once in a while, Bennett will guess wrong. Minnesota's longest run Sunday, a 13-yard Peterson run, came when Bennett guessed to crash inside when the run when around the end.

However, the Seahawks have come to accept Bennett's creative ability and instincts because more often than not, he makes a play that few others are capable of making.

"We really have gained an understanding, how we play him," Carroll said. "There's going to be times that he's going to penetrate instead of play the block the way another guy would because he knows where the ball's going. Unfortunately, he's not always right, but for the most part, he is."

That freedom helped Bennett earn a Pro Bowl selection for the first time in his seven-year career. He finished the regular season with a career-high 10 sacks.

--Bennett left the game for one play in the fourth quarter after tweaking his right knee. Carroll said Monday that Bennett was fine and that it was just a "strawberry" bruise.

--Fullback Will Tukuafu sustained a hamstring injury against the Vikings. Carroll said it was the only injury of significance coming from the game and called it a "wait-and-see" matter.

--Tight end Luke Willson (concussion) is expected to return this week after sitting out the past two games.