Fresh off a first-round bye, the one-seeded Seattle Seahawks were figured to feel as rejuvenated as possible for January football. Unfortunately, that doesn’t apply to QB Sam Darnold entering the weekend.
Ahead of Saturday’s Divisional Round playoff bout against the San Francisco 49ers (8:00 p.m. ET on FOX), the veteran signal-caller has an oblique injury. With kickoff quickly approaching, how could the ailment impact his availability?
Let’s take a closer look at a Sam Darnold injury update and what it could mean for Seattle’s PrizePicks outlook in the Divisional Round against San Francisco.
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Sam Darnold Injury Update: Will He Play in Divisional Round on Saturday?
If you’re a Seahawks fan, you may be able to breathe a sigh of relief. Speaking to the media on Thursday, Darnold explained that he fully expects to suit up for the Divisional Round.
“Just in routes on air, just kind of felt a little something in my oblique,” Darnold said. “Didn’t want to push it. Wasn’t the day to push it, so that was it. Came inside, got some rehab, and feel like I’ll be ready to go for Saturday.”
The Seahawks’ official team injury report, as expected, listed Darnold as a limited participant in Thursday’s practice. He carries a questionable designation for Saturday’s postseason outing, albeit without much doubt from him.
Between the Minnesota Vikings in 2024 and Seahawks in 2025-26, Darnold has started 34 of 34 regular-season games and one playoff contest. Saturday would make that total two. In his debut campaign with Seattle, he completed 323 of 477 passes, good for a career-high 67.7% completion rate.
Darnold also lobbed 25 passing TDs to 14 INTs, racking up 4,048 yards through the air. He has a passer rating of at least 99.0 in consecutive campaigns.
Seahawks’ Offensive Outlook vs. 49ers
Of course, the Seahawks and 49ers are quite familiar with one another. The bitter NFC West rivals faced off twice during the regular season, including a winner-takes-all Week 18 clash for the division title and NFC’s No. 1 seed.
In those games, Darnold amassed 348 passing yards with no TDs or INTs. Completing 73.5% of his passes, he was still a model of efficiency against a struggling defense. That might remain the case in the Divisional Round; Darnold’s playmakers could stand out on Saturday.
In the receiving corps, WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba led the NFL in receiving yards with 1,793 this year. Among receivers with 100+ routes, per SumerSports, he also paced the field in target share (35.82%) and was second in yards per route run (3.61). He must be accounted for.
RBs Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet are intriguing contributors. Seattle ran the ball a staggering 39 times in Week 18’s 49ers matchup. The San Fran defense is 20th in rush EPA per play (-0.01) and 31st in success rate (46.5%).
If the ball is taken out of Darnold’s hands, there may be some worthy producers elsewhere for the Seahawks’ offense.
Sam Darnold Projections vs. 49ers in Divisional Round
Here are some of Sam Darnold’s player projections for Saturday vs. the 49ers, courtesy of PrizePicks.
- 232.5 Pass Yards
- 28.5 Pass Attempts
- 19.5 Pass Completions
- 67.7 Completion Percentage
- 6.5 Rush Yards
- 2.5 Rush Attempts (Goblin)
- 248.5 Pass + Rush Yards
- And More
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Make Seahawks vs. 49ers Playoff Picks on PrizePicks
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