The Seattle Seahawks have been dealt an unusual curveball regarding the health of starting quarterback Sam Darnold, who was injured only five plays into their Week 1 game. Darnold is dealing with a "unique" soft tissue injury related to his glute, which is leaving both him and the Seahawks in a sort of limbo.
We have heard all sorts of information on how long Darnold will be out, but it all ultimately leads to the same road: we aren't 100% certain what the actual timetable is. Hopefully, NFL insider Ian Rapoport has shed some light. On Thursday morning, Rapoport gave a run down of health updates for various quarterbacks, including Darnold.
Darnold has already been ruled OUT for Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals, and it's increasingly likely
he will miss Week 3 against the Washington Commanders as well. But Rapoport is now saying that Seattle's Week 4 home game versus the Los Angeles Chargers is perhaps the "likely" target for his potential return.
From @GMFB: Injury updates on #Bengals QB Joe Burrow, #Seahawks QB Sam Darnold, #Vikings QB Kyler Murray, and #49ers WR De'Zhaun Stribling. pic.twitter.com/7kciukA8Ec
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 17, 2026
If the Seahawks can maintain two wins without Darnold, that will be massive. Seattle has received a bit of a scheduling break with two winnable road games. Although, as the Cardinals themselves reminded everyone last week when they beat the Chargers, this is an "any given Sunday" kind of league.
Seattle should be confident with Drew Lock under center, but by no means can they afford to overlook either opponent.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: NFL Week 4 the 'likely target' for Seahawks QB Sam Darnold to return
