Sam Darnold hip injury: what we know after Seahawks opener

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold left Wednesday night’s season opener with a right hip injury and did not return. The defending champions still beat the New England Patriots 13-10. The result mattered. The bigger overnight question was how long Seattle’s starter will be unavailable.

The play came early. On the Seahawks’ first drive, Darnold tried to escape the pocket on third down and was sacked by Patriots defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones, a former Seattle player. Broadcast and pool reports said Darnold landed awkwardly, including on his right side and knee. He reached the sideline without help, went to the medical tent, then limped to the locker room with a team physician. He was first listed as questionable and was ruled out before halftime.

The first medical updates were more encouraging than the sight of a Super Bowl quarterback exiting in the first quarter. Head coach Mike Macdonald said after the game that Seattle had ruled out a fracture and called that “great news,” while stressing that more tests were still planned. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Darnold had a CT scan at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle that was “encouraging” but inconclusive. An MRI was scheduled for Thursday, 10 September.

That sequence matters for readers following the story. An X-ray and CT that clear a fracture remove the worst structural outcome many fans feared in the moment. An MRI is the next step for soft tissue and a clearer recovery window. Macdonald said he did not yet know the full extent of the injury or what it means for Week 2 at Arizona.

Backup Drew Lock finished the night. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, per postgame reporting, and helped Seattle climb out of a 10-0 hole. The go-ahead score was a 45-yard touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba on fourth-and-one early in the fourth quarter. Macdonald said the staff already trusted Lock. Smith-Njigba echoed that the room stayed with the backup after losing “14,” Darnold’s number.

Darnold’s absence would still be a major story even after a win. He is 29 and coming off a first Seahawks season that ended in a Super Bowl title: 4,048 regular-season passing yards, 25 touchdowns, 14 interceptions and a Pro Bowl, then a strong postseason. That redemption arc runs through early struggles with the Jets and Panthers, a San Francisco backup year and a big 2024 season in Minnesota before Seattle signed him to a three-year, $100 million deal.

Lock’s résumé is longer as a starter than many backups, with 28 career starts, but his overall record and touchdown-to-interception history show why Seattle prefers Darnold under center. If the MRI keeps Darnold out for any stretch, Lock becomes the bridge and the offense’s rhythm becomes the weekly subplot behind Seattle’s title defense.

What to watch next is narrow and concrete. Thursday’s MRI results and Macdonald’s next availability comments will set the Week 2 plan. Practice participation early next week will matter more than social media guesses. Until the team gives a clearer timetable, the honest summary is the one Macdonald already offered: fracture out, more tests ahead and the starter’s status for Arizona still unknown.

Eagle Frame’s takeaway is simple. Seattle got the win and the first layer of good medical news on the same night. The MRI decides whether this is a short scare or a longer quarterback problem for a team that just started life as defending champion.