Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold appeared out of the blue on Thursday with an oblique injury, which has him listed as “questionable” for Saturday night’s game. The signs point to Darnold playing, but coach Mike Macdonald — in his first visit with reporters since the injury happened — left the door open for Darnold either not starting or perhaps not being able to finish.
“We’re really optimistic he’s going to be able to play,” Macdonald said. “Right now we’re going through all the protocol, one, just out of caution to make sure we’re ready to go, and we’ll test it out tomorrow, kind of make the final decision. We’re optimistic he’s going to play. If he doesn’t or at some point he doesn’t, Drew [Lock] is ready to go. That’s why Drew is here. He’s doing a great job.
Macdonald later said it’s a “possibility” Darnold doesn’t play.
“I think right now he’s confident he’s going to be able to go do his thing at 100 [percent], and we are too,” Macdonald said. “With these things, something could change between now and then or happen in-game. We’ll just have to roll with it.”
And it’s clear they’ll roll with Lock, not rookie Jalen Milroe, if Darnold’s injury takes him off the field.
“He doesn’t take all the reps throughout the week, but he’s doing the same thing he does every week,” Macdonald said of Milroe. “He’s been our emergency third [quarterback] for a good bit, so he’s got to be ready to go if need be.”
If Milroe is the third quarterback, he’ll be able to play only if both Darnold and Lock are injured (or, in theory, ejected).
Macdonald said Darnold feels better on Friday than he did on Thursday.
“I think if you talk to him, he’s confident he’s going to be able to play,” Macdonald said. “We feel the same way.”
It looks like Darnold will go. The discomfort could potentially require a painkilling injection. Which, as Tyrod Taylor knows, can go sideways.
So while optimism and confidence are the buzzwords for the Seahawks, it’s something to watch. Before the game and during the game. While Darnold not playing would become a major problem for the NFC’s No. 1 seed, Lock would have the opportunity of a lifetime land in his lap.
