Seahawks QB Sam Darnold exits season opener with hip injury; fracture ruled out (September 10)
Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold suffered a hip injury on the opening drive of the September 10 season-opening win over New England and was ruled out before halftime. A fracture was ruled out, but further testing was pending. Drew Lock entered for the second drive and finished the game.
Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold suffered a hip injury on the opening drive of the season-opener against New England on September 10 and was ruled out before halftime. A fracture was ruled out, but the full extent of the injury remains unclear pending further testing.
Darnold went to the locker room after taking a sack on Seattle's first drive. Drew Lock entered for the second drive and remained under center for the remainder of the Seahawks' 13-10 victory. Darnold was getting further tests on his hip conducted off-site.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said in his postgame press conference: "It's good news right now, at this point, we were able to rule out a fracture. He'll have some more tests done. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sam. We love him." Darnold's status for Week 2 depends on the results of those tests.
Darnold, 29, threw for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in the regular season in his 2025 debut with Seattle. He threw for 346 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the NFC Championship and led the Seahawks to victory in the Super Bowl. He posted a league-best 11.8 yards per attempt on under-center play-action passes last season.
Lock entered the night with a 10-18 starting record and a career completion percentage under 60 percent. He appeared in eight games (five starts) for the New York Giants in 2024, throwing six touchdowns and five interceptions, and returned to Seattle last year but attempted just three passes. Lock got significant action in preseason and played solidly. Jalen Milroe is the Seahawks' emergency third quarterback, available only if Lock is also injured.
Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said postgame that a fracture was ruled out and Darnold would undergo further testing, but provided no timeline for his status for Week 2.
Seattle will release an official injury update on Darnold's status within 48 hours. If Darnold is unavailable for Week 2, the Seahawks will lean on Lock in an unfamiliar role after losing both their starting running back (Kenneth Walker III to the Chiefs) and having their primary backup still recovering from a torn ACL (Zach Charbonnet).
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