Football injuries are a fact of the game, but there’s an extra jab of pain for those that occur in meaningless minutes.

After a rocky first half, one which had fans wondering whether the Seattle Seahawks were angling for “most overrated team of 2017,” the Seahawks settled down and began hanging touchdowns on the Indianapolis Colts. With less than five minutes remaining in the game and Seattle up by three touchdowns, the Seahawks began chewing up clock on the ground … and then their troubles began.

Chris Carson, a promising rookie running back out of Oklahoma State, had the responsibility of toting the rock to wind out the game. On an otherwise meaningless drive, Carson’s left leg turned underneath a tackler in an ugly fashion. Quarterback Russell Wilson immediately rushed onto the pile, trying to pull Colts away, and Carson was loaded onto a waiting cart. He kept his head down, not appearing to acknowledge the CenturyLink Field crowd. Team officials indicated that Carson would receive an x-ray on Sunday night and an MRI Monday.

“Unfortunately, on that play, you could hear something,” Wilson said of the injury, “and that’s never good.”

Carson had already established himself as a workhorse, carrying the ball 11 times for 42 yards on the night to go with 37 carries and 166 yards in the season’s first three games. With injuries to Seattle RBs Thomas Rawls and CJ Prosise already hampering the Seahawks, the loss of Carson — as appears highly likely — will cause further concern.

Outside of Carson, the Seahawks appear to be functioning at an efficient, if not necessarily elite, level. Tied with Indianapolis 18-18, the Seahawks reeled off 28 straight points to close out the game, a 36-point second-half run that set a franchise record.

It’s a convincing, inspiring win, but we’ll have to wait for word on Carson’s condition to see if it’s a costly one.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION, on sale now at Amazon or wherever books are sold. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.