Sam Darnold Questionable With Oblique Injury Ahead of Seahawks-49ers Divisional Playoff Game
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was added to the injury report Thursday with an oblique strain sustained during practice, but the Pro Bowl signal-caller is confident he’ll take the field Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round.
Darnold said he felt discomfort in his oblique on the left side while throwing passes to receivers during the air routes portion of practice. Rather than risk aggravating the injury, he decided to step back and prioritize recovery.
"Didn’t wanna push it," Darnold said after practice. "Wasn’t the day to push it. That was it. Came inside, got some rehab, and feel like I’ll be ready to go for Saturday."
The Seahawks officially listed Darnold as questionable for the contest, a designation that typically signals uncertainty heading into a game. However, Darnold made his confidence unmistakable when discussing the possibility of missing the playoff matchup.
"Probably closer to zero," he said with a slight smile when asked about the likelihood he wouldn’t play. The quarterback added there is a "very low percentage" that he sits out Seattle’s first playoff game.
A Breakout Season for Darnold
The 28-year-old has been instrumental to Seattle’s success this season under second-year coach Mike Macdonald. Darnold threw for over 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns while leading the 14-3 Seahawks to the NFC’s No. 1 seed. He earned his second straight Pro Bowl selection after a career-revitalizing season with the Minnesota Vikings last year.
Against the 49ers this season, Darnold split two starts, completing 73.5% of his passes while throwing for less than 200 yards in both games without throwing any touchdowns or interceptions.
Backup Plan: Drew Lock Ready if Needed
Should Darnold be unable to play, the Seahawks would turn to backup Drew Lock, who received reps with the starting offense during Thursday’s practice. The 29-year-old attempted just three passes during the regular season but has 28 career regular season starts on his resume, including 13 starts in 2020 with the Denver Broncos.
Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak expressed confidence in Lock’s preparation despite his limited action this season.
"Drew’s been really impressive throughout OTAs and training camp and in his role," Kubiak said. "Started a lot of football games, 28 games in the league. Lot of confidence in Drew. Brought him here for a reason."
With the divisional round matchup just 48 hours away, Darnold emphasized his commitment to being ready.
"We’ll attack it the next couple of days and be ready for Saturday," he said.
