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First, it seemed obvious. Then, it was only apparent. Now, it’s official.

The Seahawks will play the rest of their season without three-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, beginning with Sunday’s game against the Cowboys in Dallas. The only player to lead the team in tackles over four consecutive seasons – his first four seasons – was placed on injured reserve Friday, one day after having surgery to reattach his torn left pectoral.

It seemed inevitable after Tatupu was injured in the team’s pre-bye loss to the Arizona Cardinals. But there was a brief flicker of hope that he might be able to rehab the injury and return at some point this season. That thought was dashed after his visited shoulder specialist Dr. James Andrews this week.

“Once he got hurt, we knew it, so this isn’t a big shock,” strong safety Deon Grant said.

Still, playing without Tatupu will be difficult – no matter how well second-year man David Hawthorne performs in his absence.

“We know David’s a good player,” coach Jim Mora said after practice. “I mean, certainly, when you lose a guy like Lofa, there’s a void. I mean, he’s a Pro Bowl player. But, there’s nothing we can do about that. So we just have to keep going on, marching on, and that’s what we’ll do. And our guys, they don’t dwell on that stuff. They can’t. They just play.”

Especially this season, when it too often has seemed like injuries have been the only constant.

Tatupu is the second player to go on IR this week. Wednesday, Pro Bowl left tackle Walter Jones was placed on IR because of persistent pain in his surgically repaired left knee that had prevented him for practicing, let alone playing.

Two out, two in – as cornerback Marcus Trufant will play Sunday for the first time this season and linebacker Leroy Hill will return for the first time since tearing a groin in the season opener. Trufant was activated off the physically-unable-to-perform list Friday, filling the roster spot that opened when Tatupu went on IR.

But it is Hawthorne who will fill Tatupu’s spot in the middle of the defense. It was Tatupu who gave Hawthorne the nickname “The Heater” last year because of the way he was bringing the heat as a rookie.  

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in ‘Heater,’ ” Grant said. “He’s not Lofa, as far as what Lofa brings to the game. He’s one of the best. But ‘Heater’ brings a lot to the game, too.”

For example? “He’s a hitter. I mean, he’ll smack you,” Mora said. “He’s ‘The Heater.’ He’s really picked up this defense well. I think he plays with confidence. I think the players have confidence in him. He takes it very seriously. He studies his craft. He’s a young, developing player, so it’ll be exciting to watch him develop the rest of the season.”

In his only other NFL start – in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears when Tatupu was out with a strained hamstring – Hawthorne had 16 tackles and an interception.

“David will step in and do a great job,” Mora said. “We’ll just keep going. We got to keep going.”

Defensive end Patrick Kerney can relate to Tatupu’s situation on multiple levels. First, he went out with a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 9 last year.

“Even though we knew this was coming, it’s still tough,” Kerney said. “Lofa is obviously a great player and an important person for us from a leadership standpoint. I think we’re lucky to have a player like David Hawthorne to back him up.

“But, yeah, losing a three-time Pro Bowl player is going to hurt.”

Kerney also has had to come back from a torn pectoral. That was during his last season with the Atlanta Falcons and first offseason with the Seahawks. So he knows what Tatupu is about to go through.

“He’ll find the hardest part is, for like six weeks, you keep coming in and asking what you can do for rehab, and the answer is, ‘Nothing,’ ” Kerney said. “ ‘Really? How about today?’ ‘Nothing.’ ‘Can I get on the (stationary) bike and sweat?’ ‘No.’

“You just sit there and not exercise and not sweat for six weeks.”

But as Kerney says, “It’s a shame it had to happen to him. But it’s just part of the game.”

Especially this season.