Seahawks' Sam Darnold injures himself ahead of playoff clash with 49ers

There's never a good time for a starting quarterback to be dealing with an injury in the NFL, but the timing of this one for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is terrible.

It came out that Darnold tweaked something on his left side while throwing routes on Thursday. He left practice and is now officially questionable for Saturday's divisional-round playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers with an oblique injury. 

For the practice, the Seahawks listed him as "limited," though he's saying that he'll be ready to go for the massive playoff clash at Lumen Field.

"Just didn't want to push it," Darnold explained, according to Brady Henderson of ESPN. "Wasn't the day to push it. So that was it. Just came inside, got some rehab, and I feel like I'll be ready to go for Saturday."

The Seahawks went 14-3 in the regular season and earned the NFC's No. 1 seed. Much of their success hinged on a running game that averaged 123.3 yards per carry and a defense that was ranked sixth in the NFL in yards given up per game at just 285.6.

Darnold is an important piece of the puzzle for the Seahawks, though, so even if he plays but is not 100 percent against the 49ers, that's a big deal.

Don't expect him to miss the game outright, though.

"Very low percentage," he said when asked what percent of him thinks he may not be able to suit up. "Probably closer to zero."

Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers meet for a playoff grudge match 

Darnold, a Pro Bowler, threw for 4,048 yards and 25 touchdowns this season compared to 14 interceptions. 

The Seahawks played the 49ers twice this season, splitting the series. 

In Week 1, Darnold completed 16-of-23 passes for just 150 yards with no touchdowns in a 17-13 loss. 

The NFC West rivals squared off again in Week 18 at Levi's Stadium, and the Seahawks beat the 49ers, 13-3, to win the division.

In that game, Darnold completed 20-of-26 passes for 198 yards, and he again didn't throw a touchdown.

If he plays, and however he plays, Darnold and the Seahawks are hoping to lean on their home-field advantage in this game.

"Being able to use cadence is going to be huge, and then having our 12s there making noise when they're on offense is crucial," Darnold said. "So, it's going to be an awesome atmosphere and something we're all looking forward to."