After suffering a glute injury early in the season opener against the New England Patriots, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has been ruled out for the team's second game of the season against the Arizona Cardinals.
Seahawks ruled out QB Sam Darnold for Sunday’s game vs. the Cardinals due to his glute injury. The team currently has no plans to place Darnold on IR. pic.twitter.com/TMAfZK27mE
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 16, 2026
Drew Lock is expected to start in Darnold’s absence. He finished the game against the Patriots with 187 passing yards and a touchdown, with a quarterback rating of 113.3. Receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was a clear part of the win. Smith-Njigba had the only touchdown of the game for Seattle on a 45-yard play; he finished the game with eight receptions for 122
yards.
Lock did everything the Seahawks needed him to. He avoided making any costly mistakes and got the ball to Seattle’s top playmaker. That will most likely be the game plan against the Cardinals as well. Even though it is early in the season, this game will be crucial for the Seahawks to keep pace in the NFC West, especially after the San Francisco 49ers dominated the Los Angeles Rams 27-7 in their opener in Australia.
Since the Seahawks have no intention of putting Darnold on injured reserve, it does not appear they will have to rely on Lock in the long term. He could even be back in time for Seattle’s game against the Washington Commanders on Sun. Sept. 27 (1 p.m. EST / FOX).
This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Sam Darnold out vs Cardinals, Seahawks not planning to put him on IR
