The Seattle Seahawks managed to escape their season opener with a 13-10 victory over the New England Patriots, but there was some immediate concern after this game surrounding star quarterback Sam Darnold. After just five snaps, Darnold was forced out of the game due to injury, with Drew Lock subbing in and leading the team to victory.
While Lock has proven himself to be more than capable of holding down the fort during Darnold’s absence, it’s clear that if Seattle wants to win it all again this season, it is going to need its star quarterback on the field. Initially, the belief was that Darnold suffered a hip injury, but insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Network revealed that actually isn’t the case.
Sam Darnold Dealing With a Glute Injury, not a Hip Injury
The air was taken out of Lumen Field on Wednesday night when Darnold was seen limping off the field after being sacked by Dre’Mont Jones. Lock promptly took the field for the ensuing series, with Darnold eventually being ruled out for the remainder of the game. According to reports, Darnold was taken to a hospital to conduct more tests on his injury.
Anytime a player leaves the stadium to go to a hospital, it usually isn’t a good sign, but this was simply done so that the proper testing could be done on Darnold. All signs pointed to Seattle dodging a bullet with Darnold’s injury situation, but there remained a lack of clarity on what his actual ailment was.
The reporting during the game and in the aftermath of it indicated that Darnold had banged up his hip on this aforementioned play. As it turns out, though, Darnold is actually dealing with a glute injury, not a hip injury. In the grand scheme of things, his timeline for a return remains the same, but it does provide some insight as to what he is currently dealing with.
“My understanding is it’s actually a glute injury,” Rapoport shared on “NFL GameDay.” “It’s a muscular injury. Not considered to be major.”
Seahawks Hoping Sam Darnold Can Make a Speedy Return
Darnold has already been ruled out for Week 2, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he ultimately misses a couple more games while getting fully healthy. The silver lining is that this isn’t a serious injury that is going to force him to miss an extended period of time, but the Seahawks’ offense will struggle to reach its full potential without him on the field.
Lock did well to help Seattle get past a tough New England team, and he should have an easier task ahead of him in Week 2, as he and his teammates are set to battle the lowly Arizona Cardinals. For now, Lock is running the show, but the spotlight will remain on Darnold as he works to get himself back to full health.
Seahawks Receive Unexpected Sam Darnold Injury Update From Insider