Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald shares Sam Darnold injury update

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Seahawks HC Mike Macdonald shares Sam Darnold injury update

By Ernesto Cova | Last updated Sep 10, 2026 8:01 AM ET

The Seattle Seahawks proved why they must be considered the team to beat in the NFC.

Even without their starting quarterback, Mike Macdonald's team rallied to score 13 unanswered points and seal a 13-10 win over the New England Patriots.

Drew Lock did a solid job in the second half after some early jitters, but Darnold's situation is, for obvious reasons, the main storyline of the game.

Darnold left the field just five snaps into the game, suffering a hip injury after taking a sack on the final play of the drive, and was ruled out shortly after.

According to Seahawks reporter Ethan McReynolds, the team may have dodged a big bullet with him.

The Seahawks got good news on Sam Darnold's injury

"Mike Macdonald shares they got 'good news' on Sam Darnold and his hip injury," McReynolds shared on X, formerly Twitter.

Mike Macdonald shares they got "good news" on Sam Darnold and his hip injury
— Ethan McReynolds (@EthanMcTV) September 10, 2026

Of course, that doesn't say much, but given how coy Macdonald usually is with injuries, that's probably as good as it'll get until he's literally obligated to disclose more.

The Seahawks will get 11 days to rest before their Week 2 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 20 — a significant step down in class after taking down Mike Vrabel's team.

Given how well their defense performed in the opener, and considering that Lock is an experienced backup who could face one of the presumably worst teams in the league, the Seahawks may want to err on the side of caution and give their starter an additional week to get back to full strength.

This was a gusty win by the defending champions, and even though it looked ugly at first, it looks like their quarterback might not be out for long, if at all.

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto is a bilingual (English-Spanish) sports writer with over eight years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB. Ernesto’s work focuses on providing insightful, up-to-date coverage of sports, blending his expertise in sports psychology with a passion for analyzing player performance, team dynamics, and trade developments across various sports leagues

More must-reads: