The Seattle Seahawks are back in the playoffs for the first time since January of 2023, and fittingly enough, it’ll come against the San Francisco 49ers, their divisional rivals who just so happen to be responsible for Seattle’s last playoff loss. The only problem, however, is that their QB1, Sam Darnold, is at serious risk of missing the contest.
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The bye week that comes from being the no. one seed in the conference is supposed to be a blessing for whoever is capable enough to earn it, as rest is typically at a premium in the postseason. Nevertheless, Thursday’s injury report saw Darnold listed with a sudden oblique injury.
He’s officially questionable, and some are even fearing that he could be a game-time decision, but according to the head coach himself, Mike Macdonald, the Seahawks are “really optimistic that he’s going to play.”
“Right now, we’re going through all the protocol. We’re doing that just out of caution to make sure we’re ready to go and we’ll test it out tomorrow and kind of make the final decision… He’s confident that he’s going to be able to go do his thing and we are too. But, with these things, something could change between now and then. Something could happen in game, so we kind of just have to roll with it.”
King5 Seattle also confirmed that there was no “real throwing” nor any “live drills” for Darnold on Friday. The team had a walk-through, suggesting that it was relatively easy for everyone, but of course, the main concern lies with Darnold.
Obviously, there are varying degrees of severity when it comes to oblique injuries, and without being able to talk to Darnold or the Seahawks’ medical staff directly, it’s rather impossible to assess just how severe his case may be.
What we can look at, however, are some recent instances of quarterbacks incurring the same injury and how their respective teams handled the situation. Back in August of last year, when he was still getting his first taste of the league, Shedeur Sanders sustained an oblique injury that saw him sidelined for the duration of the Cleveland Browns’ session that day.
After testing, Sanders’ status was listed as day-to-day, and he would ultimately miss their next preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
A more encouraging example can be found in Week 5 of this regular season, where Mac Jones sustained an oblique injury of his own in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams. He still managed to get the win in overtime, and even though he was less than 100% and was limited in practice throughout the following week, Jones would ultimately end up starting in Week 6.
Not only did the five-year vet manage to end up delivering another win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that week, but he also threw for 347 passing yards in the process. Simply put, results may, and likely will, vary for the Seahawks on Sunday as they try to find their postseason victory since January of 2020.
