Earl Thomas was more banged up in Super Bowl XLIX than previously imagined.
The four-time All-Pro selection will undergo surgery and miss six to eight months.
Most of the Legion of Boom was banged up in the title game, including his elite running mates in Richard Sherman (elbow) and Kam Chancellor (MCL tear, bone bruise). Both Sherman and Thomas injured themselves during the NFC Championship Game, but the cornerback might escape the safety's fate of going under the knife.
Cornerback Jeremy Lane left the crushing 28-24 loss in the first quarter with what coach Pete Carroll later called a "significant" arm injury, leaving the Seahawks' secondary notably banged up.
A six-to-eight-month recovery window would place Thomas in coming back as early as August, the beginning of the preseason. A pessimistic diagnosis would place Thomas in pads no earlier than October, a handful of games into the 2015 season.
For Seattle to pace the NFL as the top challenger to New England, a healthy Thomas is necessary. The rangy playmaker, who has garneredTroy Polamalu and Ed Reed comparisons, vowed to "play fearless" despite the injury -- and did so. The dropoff to whoever the opening day backup will be is significant; it's a reality Carroll and Co. would prefer to avoid.
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