The Seattle Seahawks kicked off their Super Bowl defense with a 13-10 win over the New England Patriots on Wednesday, but the path to victory wasn’t exactly straightforward. The Seahawks had to grind their way through this game after starting quarterback Sam Darnold was forced out of the game after the team’s first offensive drive with a hip injury.
Drew Lock managed to come in and get the job done with a clutch second-half rally, but there is lingering concern surrounding Darnold’s status moving forward. While initial reports seem to indicate that Seattle has avoided the worst-case scenario, NFL insider Ian Rapoport hinted at a potential stint on injured reserve for Darnold.
Seahawks Could Place Sam Darnold on Injured Reserve
There was quite a bit of excitement surrounding the Seahawks’ return to action for the 2026 campaign, but the air was taken out of the building once Darnold was forced out of the game after just five plays. Darnold landed awkwardly on his right hip after being sacked by Dre’Mont Jones, and after jogging gingerly off the field, he ended up not returning to the game.
Lock got off to a slow start, but he eventually got going and did just enough to power Seattle to victory over a tough New England team. Winning is always great, but all eyes were on Darnold after this game in search of a concrete update. The fact that he wasn’t able to get back on the field isn’t a great sign, but initial tests seem to indicate he avoided any sort of serious fracture to his hip.
Darnold will undergo an MRI on Thursday that will paint a clearer picture as to what his actual injury is, and while the team seems to have avoided a doomsday scenario, the expectation is that he will still miss time. With that in mind, Darnold could wind up spending some time on injured reserve, which would hold him out for at least the team’s next four games.
“My understanding is, while he’s going to have an MRI today, the Seahawks believe that they got good news,” Rapoport said on “Good Morning Football.” “They believe this is not a significant injury. The MRI is going to tell the story today. Certainly, an absence is possible. Short-term injured reserve certainly something that would be in play. Knock him out four games, let him rehab that hip.”
Seahawks Gathering More Information Before Making Sam Darnold Decision
Seattle has almost two weeks off until its Week 2 action, so it doesn’t need to rush into any decisions with Darnold. If Lock is going to be the guy under center moving forward, though, the team would obviously rather know that sooner rather than later. That’s why, if Darnold is facing a multi-week absence, a move to injured reserve could be made soon.
More details seem set to emerge on Darnold’s status within the next couple of hours, and once they do, the Seahawks can begin plotting their path forward. Seattle will face off against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2, with kickoff for this game scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sep. 20.
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