Sam Darnold injury: Best and worst case scenario for Seahawks QB

The Seattle Seahawks‘ path to defending their Super Bowl title began on Wednesday night with a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. Vibes were seemingly at an all-time high in the Pacific Northwest, but those elite vibes quickly vanished when Sam Darnold, Seattle’s star quarterback, was seen limping off the field after being sacked to end their first drive.

Darnold left the game, and soon, ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed that he’s questionable to return with a hip injury. It was later revealed that he was ruled out for the remainder of the game. All of a sudden, Seahawks fans have no choice but to hope for the best, not only regarding Darnold but also the team’s backup quarterback.

Who is Sam Darnold’s Seahawks backup quarterback?

Darnold was replaced by Drew Lock at the start of the team’s second drive, and he figures to receive all of the snaps under center as long as Darnold is unable to play. Lock appeared in five games for the Seahawks last season, completing two of his three pass attempts for 15 yards. He also made four appearances (two starts) for Seattle in 2023, completing 63.2 percent of his throws and throwing as many passing touchdowns as interceptions (3).

Lock was last seen as a starter with the New York Giants in 2024, going 1-4 in that role and completing under 60 percent of his passes. The bulk of his NFL playing time has come with the Denver Broncos, who selected him in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, but he went just 8-13 in 21 starts with the organization before they elected to trade him away as part of the deal that brought Russell Wilson to Denver.

Lock isn’t the worst backup in the NFL, but he’s completed under 60 percent of his passes in his career and is not a guy the Seahawks will want to lean on long-term whatsoever. Unfortunately, leaning on Lock long-term cannot be ruled out right now.

Seahawks could be facing lengthy Sam Darnold absence

Darnold is undergoing X-rays currently, so all Seahawks fans can do is hold their breath and hope for the best. Based on what doctor Jesse Morse had to say about the injury, it feels as if the Seahawks need to prepare to face some sort of absence. With that being said, some of the injuries would be much better than others.

The best-case scenario among the possible injuries Morse listed would be the hip pointer or bone bruise. While that could lead to Darnold missing some time, depending on the severity, he likely wouldn’t miss more than two or three weeks. Other injuries, though, could result in much more time missed.

We can probably rule out hip dislocation because Darnold was able to limp off the field, but a hip fracture would realistically be the worst-case scenario. Ja’Marr Chase missed five weeks with a hairline hip fracture. That’s the best-case scenario for that kind of injury. A more serious fracture would cost Darnold more time.

To sum up, Darnold could be looking at an injury that’ll keep him sidelined ranging from a week-ish to well over a month. Seahawks fans sure hope it’s the former rather than the latter.