Brady HendersonJan 29, 2026, 07:39 PM ETCloseBrady Henderson is a reporter for NFL Nation and covers the Seattle Seahawks for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2017 after covering the team for Seattle Sports 710-AM.Follow on XMultiple Authors
Who is Jerry Rice’s pick for Super Bowl LX? (0:39)Jerry Rice explains to Rich Eisen why he’s siding with the Seahawks over the Patriots in the Super Bowl. (0:39)
RENTON, Wash. — Sam Darnold’s oblique injury might have fueled nervousness inside team headquarters when it happened two days before the Seattle Seahawks’ divisional round victory, but general manager John Schneider said Thursday that Darnold wasn’t worried.
Darnold was hurt early in practice Jan. 15, when he felt something in his left side while throwing. He was listed as questionable for Seattle’s divisional round game against the San Francisco 49ers, but he made it clear that he expected to play.
With the Seahawks controlling that game from start to finish, Darnold attempted only 17 passes, completing 12 for 124 yards and a touchdown before he gave way to Drew Lock with nine minutes remaining in their 41-6 win.
Darnold got a much tougher test last week against the Los Angeles Rams, who had intercepted six of his passes in their two regular-season meetings. In the biggest game of his eight-year NFL career, Darnold completed 25 of 36 attempts for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns, with all three of his TD passes coming under pressure.
Coach Mike Macdonald said afterward that Darnold “shut a lot of people up” with his performance, and that it should go down as one of the best in playoff history, given that Darnold had “barely” practiced or thrown the ball that week while continuing to manage his oblique injury.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Darnold received pain-killing injections before both playoff games.
“I haven’t seen a lot of quarterbacks not throw a ball and then go out and play like that,” Schneider said, “and we’ve been blessed to be around some pretty good ones.”
The Seahawks listed Darold as a limited participant both days this week, as has been the case on every injury report they’ve released since his injury. Seattle did not practice Wednesday and held a walk-through Thursday, so both injury reports were estimations.
Who is Jerry Rice’s pick for Super Bowl LX? (0:39)Jerry Rice explains to Rich Eisen why he’s siding with the Seahawks over the Patriots in the Super Bowl. (0:39)
Jerry Rice explains to Rich Eisen why he’s siding with the Seahawks over the Patriots in the Super Bowl. (0:39)
Brady HendersonJan 29, 2026, 07:39 PM ETCloseBrady Henderson is a reporter for NFL Nation and covers the Seattle Seahawks for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2017 after covering the team for Seattle Sports 710-AM.Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseBrady Henderson is a reporter for NFL Nation and covers the Seattle Seahawks for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2017 after covering the team for Seattle Sports 710-AM.Follow on X
The Seahawks won 31-27 to advance to the fourth Super Bowl in franchise history.