The Seahawks are about to get a peek at how their 2016 team could look -- especially if Bruce Irvin joins Marshawn Lynch and Brandon Mebane on the sideline.

When the Seahawks host the Detroit Lions on "Monday Night Football," Lynch (hamstring) will miss a game for only the second time in five years (he had played 61 straight games), and Mebane (groin) will sit out for the 11th time in the past 14 games (including playoffs).

Meanwhile, Irvin (ankle) has joined Kevin Pierre-Louis (knee) on the injury report, both listed as questionable.

Without Lynch, the Seahawks will start Thomas Rawls again. Last week against Chicago, the undrafted rookie was Lynch's Mini Me, bouncing off tackles for 104 rushing yards.

The team waived Robert Turbin in an administrative move and gave up on Christine Michael (who has barely played for Dallas), leaving Rawls as the backup in a season that suddenly finds the Hawks needing their No. 2 tailback more than they have at any point in the past four seasons.

We wondered last week whether Lynch might be on the sudden decline -- something that happens to backs right around their 30th birthday. Even healthy, Lynch would not be a sure thing to return in 2016. He reportedly contemplated retirement after last season and will be on the old Brett Favre Watch from here on out.  

There is no reason to think the 29-year-old Lynch won't rally from ailments to his hamstring, calf, neck and back and have a productive season. But, if he doesn't, Rawls will become all important -- this year and beyond.  

Mebane already is 30, and this is the second straight year he will have missed time due to injury Last year, he suffered a torn Achilles in the ninth game and missed the rest of the season.

All offseason, there were rumors that he might be cut due to his $5.5 million salary; but, when the Seahawks needed salary cap room after giving big contracts to Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, they chose to release Tony McDaniel instead. That thinned what had been a deep crew of defensive tackles, and now the Hawks are down to Ahtyba Rubin and Jordan Hill as the starters. The latter played very well in replace of Mebane last week, coming up with two stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Mebane and Rubin will be free agents after the season; and, with Mebane on the wrong side of 30 and missing time for a second straight year, he is looking like the odd man out. The Hawks most likely will be able to afford only one of them, and it looks like it might end up being Rubin -- unless the team finds another veteran to fill that role.

Hill now gets a chance to prove he can be an every-down tackle. He played great in a pass-rush role last December before getting hurt and has shown very well since returning from a preseason injury. He needs to keep it up and stay healthy to show the team it can rely on him this year and beyond.

Like Mebane, Irvin probably won't be back after this year. If he's out and Pierre-Louis can play, we probably will be seeing next year's linebacker corps vs. the Lions -- if Pierre-Louis can avoid nagging injuries, he figures to step in as a starter in 2016.

Rawls and Hill are the ones to watch vs. Detroit, though. If they keep it up, the Seahawks will be able to feel confident if they have to replace Lynch and Mebane next offseason.

Image: Mike Morris (Flickr)