RENTON, Wash. — Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold underwent an MRI on his hip Thursday morning, and team doctors were still reviewing the results to determine how much time he will miss, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
Darnold is expected to miss some time. For now, Seattle believes it “dodged a bullet,” as one source described it to Schefter.
On Wednesday night, Darnold left the season opener after one series in what became a 13-10 win over the New England Patriots at Lumen Field. New England outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones, who played for Seattle in 2023 and 2024, sacked him on third down to end the opening drive.
Darnold was examined in the sideline medical tent and limped to the locker room. Seattle listed him as questionable to return with a right hip injury, then ruled him out shortly before halftime. He finished 1-of-2 passing for 13 yards.
Later Wednesday night, Darnold was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for a CT scan. Schefter reported the initial test was encouraging but inconclusive. The scan had to be done off-site because there was no CT scanner available in the stadium, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport posted at 10:45 p.m. CT.
At 8:05 a.m. CT Thursday, Rapoport posted a segment from NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” reporting that Darnold was awaiting his MRI results and that the initial results were encouraging overall. Short-term injured reserve was still a possibility, Rapoport added. A player placed on injured reserve must miss at least four games.
Mike Macdonald Ruled Out A Fracture For Sam Darnold On Wednesday Night
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said after the game that he did not know whether Darnold would be available for Week 2. The Seahawks do not play again for 11 days after opening the season on a Wednesday.
“Let’s say it’s good news right now,” Macdonald said during his postgame news conference, according to NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk. “I know our thoughts and prayers are with Sam. We love him. The guys really pulled through for him.”
“At this point, we were able to rule out a fracture,” Macdonald continued. “So, there’s some more tests to be done. But that’s what I’m saying when it’s positive, but I know, we’re still working through all that, but right now a fracture is out, which is great news.”
Seattle signed Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million contract in March 2025. Last season, he did not miss a game. He completed 323-of-477 passes for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Seattle went 14-3, and Darnold made his second consecutive Pro Bowl.
In January, Darnold played through a left oblique injury. He said at the time that he felt “a little something” while throwing at practice on Jan. 15, two days before Seattle’s divisional-round game. He started all three playoff games and threw for 672 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Seattle beat New England 29-13 in Super Bowl LX on Feb. 8.
Drew Lock Went 16-of-22 In Relief Of Sam Darnold
Drew Lock took over on Seattle’s second possession and completed 16-of-22 passes for 187 yards and 1 touchdown. He did not throw an interception.
Seattle was shut out in the first half and trailed 7-0 at the break. Down 10-3 in the fourth quarter, Lock hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba on fourth-and-1 for a 45-yard touchdown with 11:38 left. A 26-yard field goal with 5:53 to play put the Seahawks ahead for good.
Lock, 29, is 10-18 as a starter over seven NFL seasons. He appeared in five games last season and completed 2-of-3 passes for 15 yards. Snapping into a game quicker is part of the life of a backup, and Lock wants to get better at it.
“I feel like I know Sam really well,” Lock said, per The Associated Press. “He was going to do everything he can to stay out there, but it’s just one of those things where he had to go get looked at.”
Smith-Njigba played high school football at Rockwall. Last season, he caught 119 passes for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 1,793 yards led the NFL. He has seen Lock handle this before.
“It’s tough losing [Darnold],” Smith-Njigba said. “He’s the head of the snake, but we have each other’s backs. We fully trust in Drew Lock to come in and do his thing, done it time and time again. So we just have to have each other’s backs.”
The Seahawks play at the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 20 at 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX. Seattle hosts the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 7 at 7:15 p.m. CT on ESPN.
