Seahawks QB Sam Darnold didn’t last long in the season opener vs. the Patriots before leaving with a hip injury on Wednesday night.
Darnold left the game after the first drive and did not return after Patriots DE Dre’Mont Jones sacked him on just the fifth play of the game. After the sack, Darnold limped off the field, but it was later revealed that he injured his hip on the play.
Drew Lock filled in for Darnold and led a 10-point comeback to win in the fourth quarter. While an exact return for Darnold is not known, early signs for the Seahawks' starting QB look promising, as there is no clear hip fracture — most likely clearing him of a season-ending injury.
Below, we’ll dig into the latest Sam Darnold injury update, including everything we know about Darnold’s hip injury, the latest news, and comments from coach Mike Macdonald.
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Sam Darnold Injury Update: How Long Could Seahawks QB Be Out?
After Darnold limped off the field, he initially waved off trainers on the sideline. However, he was eventually taken into the medical tent, then to the locker room in the first quarter of Wednesday’s game.
Darnold was listed as questionable to undergo further testing, but later ruled out around halftime.
The specifics of Darnold’s injury, including an exact timeline for return, are not yet known as of writing. However, it appears that Darnold avoided the worst of the injury, as early CT scans show no clear fracture to his hip.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said the team is “working through” the specifics of the injury, but said “right now I think a fracture is (ruled) out, which is great news,” according to the Seattle Times.
Even without a fracture, that doesn’t mean that the 29-year-old QB is out of the woods yet. According to Dr. Jesse Morse on X, these early scans are promising for long-term injury prognosis, but an MRI on Tuesday will provide more clarity.
Morse speculates that Darnold could still miss “at least” four weeks with this injury.
If that’s the case, Darnold would be slated to miss games vs. Cardinals, at Commanders, vs. Chargers, and vs. 49ers at home. Those four games are followed by a Thursday Night Football showdown in Denver vs. the Broncos on Oct. 15.
Should Darnold miss any time, it’ll be Drew Lock stepping into the starting QB role for the Seahawks, after he led the team to a 13-10 comeback win on Wednesday night.
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What to Know About Seahawks QB Drew Lock
Like Darnold, Drew Lock is in his age 29 season, set to turn 30 in November. The former second-round pick has started in 28 games in his NFL career — spent mostly as a journeyman backup. His last starts came with the Giants toward the end of 2024.
He’s gone 10-18 in those starts, averaging 216.1 yards per game, with a 1.2:0.9 TD:INT ratio. Lock has actually started in two games with the Seahawks, dating back to 2023, where he went 1-1, passing for 3 TDs and 2 INTs across them.
Lock filled in admirably for Darnold on Wednesday, completing 72.7% of his 22 passes for 187 yards and a TD, with no turnovers and only 1 sack. He also came up with a key 14-yard run in the red zone to set up what would become the game-winning field goal.
With a top-rated defense, mistake-free performances could be all the Seahawks from Lock need to get through any time that Darnold is sidelined. With plenty of experience under his belt,
Lock may be able to manage this offense without making any glaring mistakes across a reasonable schedule of games to keep the Seahawks above water until Darnold returns, especially with one win already under their belt. But let’s not put too much stock in one game.
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While we await official word on Sam Darnold’s hip injury, it looks as if the Seahawks will be forced to roll with Drew Lock at QB for at least the next few weeks.
However, early signs for Lock in Brian Fleury’s offense looked promising, as he completed over 70% of his passes vs. a Patriots’ defense that was top 10 vs. the pass just a year ago. Could Lock help the Seahawks get a few more wins while Darnold is sidelined?
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