The Seattle Seahawks won their season opener. They also appear to have avoided a much bigger loss.
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Quarterback Sam Darnold suffered a right hip injury on Seattle's opening possession Wednesday night against the New England Patriots and is expected to miss Week 2, according to multiple reports.
But coach Mike Macdonald said Thursday that an MRI delivered "really, really good news."
"The hip is intact and it's good," Macdonald said during an appearance on Seattle Sports 710 AM. "It's more of a muscle thing. So that's good news."
Darnold spent Wednesday night in the hospital, at least partly because of the amount of discomfort he was experiencing, ESPN reported.
"It is painful," Macdonald said. "Hasn't been an easy night for him."
Still, the Seahawks apparently believe they dodged a potentially much more serious injury.
Sam Darnold heads to the locker room with injury.
Drew Lock enters the game for Seattle. pic.twitter.com/bcRXOkcB0z
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 10, 2026
Darnold is expected to sit out Seattle's Sept. 20 road game against the Arizona Cardinals, with Drew Lock likely to start in his place. The Seahawks then host the Washington Commanders on Sept. 27, and reports indicate Darnold could return sooner rather than later.
Lock certainly gave Seattle reason to feel comfortable Wednesday.
After Darnold went down, the veteran backup took over and helped the defending Super Bowl champions grind out a 13-10 victory over the Patriots.
So the Seahawks are 1-0, Darnold's hip is structurally sound, and the early outlook is encouraging. Considering how his NFL season started, they'll gladly take all three.
