Sam Darnold Injury Update
Sam Darnold is dealing with a left oblique injury but is officially listed as questionable for Saturday’s divisional round game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Seahawks reporter Gregg Bell, posting on X as @gbellseattle, shared that Sam Darnold is now questionable for Saturday night’s game against the 49ers due to a new oblique issue.
He felt “a little something” in his side while throwing during Thursday’s practice and left early to avoid making it worse, which is a very “veteran QB in January” move.
The Seahawks limited him in practice and put him on the injury report, which naturally sent a bit of panic through Seattle fans already worrying about facing that 49ers pass rush again.
Reporters around the team have noted that the training staff moved quickly to treatment, and Darnold spent part of Thursday doing rehab instead of pushing through extra reps.
It is the kind of minor soft‑tissue issue that can tighten up fast in cold weather, so the staff is trying to manage it smartly rather than heroically.
Teammates have joked that he has been more annoyed about having to leave practice than about the actual pain, which feels very on brand for a quarterback in the middle of a strong season.
Is Sam Darnold Playing Saturday?
All signs point to yes: Sam Darnold expects to play Saturday, and described the chances of missing the game as “very low… probably closer to zero.” The Seahawks officially list him as questionable, but his own comments and the team’s tone strongly suggest he will be under center when Seattle hosts San Francisco at Lumen Field on Saturday night.
Darnold explained that he shut things down in practice to avoid “overexerting” the oblique and said he feels confident about being ready for the playoff matchup.
The fact that the discomfort is on his left (non‑throwing) side also helps his chances, since it is more about trunk rotation and follow‑through than pure arm strength.
One small but telling detail: he talked about “tackling this over the next few days” and preparing for Saturday as if playing is the default, not the long shot.
hat is usually how quarterbacks speak when the medical staff has already given them a quiet green light, even if the official report stays cautious.
Sam Darnold Stats
Sam Darnold is having one of the strongest seasons of his career, throwing for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions in the 2025 regular season with Seattle.
He completed about 67.7% of his passes and averaged 8.5 yards per attempt, good for a passer rating just under 100 and a top‑five finish in passing yards league‑wide.
For anyone tracking playoff impact rather than fantasy box scores, the bigger story is how consistently he has kept Seattle’s offense on schedule, especially in tight late‑season games that pushed the Seahawks to a 14–3 record.
There have been occasional rough patches with turnovers, but the overall arc is a quarterback who finally looks settled, confident, and trusted to run a contender’s offense in January.
Approximate kickoff for Seahawks vs 49ers divisional round:
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Saturday, January 17, 2026 – 5:15 p.m. PT (local Seattle time) / 8:15 p.m. ET.
Disclaimer: Game status labels (questionable, active, inactive) can change closer to kickoff based on how the oblique responds during warm‑ups, so official team inactives and NFL channels should be checked on Saturday for final confirmation.
