Cliff Avril Injury: Updates on Seahawks Star's Possible Concussion and Return

Seattle Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril suffered a concussion, which leaves his Super Bowl status up in the air.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports passed along more information about the situation:  

Avril was later ruled out for the remainder of the game, via John Boyle of the Everett Herald:

Avril is a key piece of a Seattle defense that struggled a bit in the early portion of the season. The unit rebounded nicely, however, which helped the defending champions to catch fire down the stretch. That allowed them to reach the season's final game once again.

The 28-year-old veteran was asked to take on a bigger role this season. The rotation up front took some time to gel with everybody carving out their new roles before the defense fell back into place.

There were high hopes about his ability to produce a big season. Part of that was due to him going into the offseason healthy after some nagging injuries in previous years. Brady Henderson of 710 ESPN provided the lineman's thoughts about his improved health.

"This was probably the best I've felt going into an offseason after a season in the last, I'd say, three or four years," Avril said back in June. "And that was due to the heavy rotation that we had."

The strong offseason and increased role didn't lead to better production, though. He finished with just five sacks during the regular season. The good news for the Seahawks was that his level of play did improve in the postseason.

O'Brien Schofield and David King are the players most likely to see a noticeable increase in usage. There would also be more pressure on starters Michael Bennett and Bruce Irvin to make their presence felt in the opposing backfield.

The Seahawks have their hands full trying to slow down the New England Patriots. The challenge would become even tougher without Avril.