The Seattle Seahawks have beenthe feel-good story of the NFL this year. After narrowly missing the playoffs a year ago, Seattle traded away it franchise quarterback, Geno Smith, and brought in Sam Darnold in free agency. The moves resulted not only in fending off the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers for the NFC West title, but locking down the number one overall seed in the NFC.
The well-earned bye week is supposed to ensure that the first seed is as healthy and well-rested as possible heading into the Divisional round. Unfortunately for the Hawks, the opposite has occurred.
Darnold showed up on Thursday’s injury report with an oblique injury and a “questionable” designation for Saturday’s game against the Niners.
“The Seahawks list QB Sam Darnold as questionable for their playoff game Saturday vs. the 49ers due to an oblique injury,” reported ESPN’s Brady Henderson on Thursday.
On Friday, head coach Mike Macdonald spoke with reporters during a conference and confirmed some absolutley brutal news: while Sam is going to do his best to give it a go, there’s a chance he’ll be limited on Saturday.
“Mike Macdonald says they’re “really optimistic (Sam Darnold) is going to be able to play.” Mike says there’s a possibility the injury limits Sam physically, but also says Sam is confident he’ll be able to operate normally,” reported The Athletic’s Michael-Shawn Dugar.
Mike Macdonald says they’re “really optimistic (Sam Darnold) is going to be able to play.”
Mike says there’s a possibility the injury limits Sam physically but also says Sam is confident he’ll be able to operate normally. pic.twitter.com/F3s1ZPWO8U
— Dugar, Michael-Shawn (@MikeDugar) January 16, 2026
It’s definitely tough news, but the Seahawks have shown their resiliency all season, and there’s no reason to believe they aren’t capable of picking Darnold up on Saturday if he’s unable to meet his usual standards.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.