Sam Darnold Injury Update Impacts Opening Odds for Seahawks vs. Cardinals in NFL Week 2

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was injured during the team's first series in Week 1 against the New England Patriots on Wednesday, and it appears that he's going to miss Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals.

Darnold is dealing with a glute injury, according to multiple reports, but NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that he could return as soon as Week 3 against the Washington Commanders. Still, Darnold reportedly is receiving several opinions as the Seahawks determine the extent of his injury.

Sam Darnold is expected to miss next week's game, but he should be back sooner, rather than later, sources say. Could be just a few weeks.

With 17 days from Wed. until their Week 3 game against the #Commanders, Darnold gets a schedule break, as well. https://t.co/UjGk85IYPA
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 10, 2026

With Darnold expected to miss Week 2 against the Cardinals, oddsmakers have made some massive adjustments to the spread. Seattle was a 10-point favorite in the lookahead line at DraftKings Sportsbook before Darnold went down, but it has since shifted to just a 4.5-point road favorite with Drew Lock expected to start.

Lock played well in Week 1, leading a Seattle comeback while throwing for 187 yards and a score. The veteran quarterback has started quite a bit in his career, but the Seahawks also had some sloppy procedural penalties with Lock under center on Wednesday.

Luckily, Seattle has a long layoff before it has to play Arizona, which should help it get Lock ready to go in Week 2.

The Seahawks remain one of the favorites to win the Super Bowl (+1100), so it does seem like the betting market expects Darnold to return sooner rather than later.

The odds movement for this Week 2 matchup could also be impacted by Arizona's play in Week 1, as it upset the Los Angeles Chargers as a 9.5-point road underdog. The Cardinals originally were expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL, so it's possible that oddsmakers have changed their sentiment a little after the Week 1 win.

There's no doubt that Darnold gives Seattle its best chance to win -- he led the team to a Super Bowl victory in the 2025 season -- so it makes sense that oddsmakers have shifted this line away from Seattle.

Since the Seahawks haven't placed Darnold on injured reserve yet, it shows that there is some optimism that he'll miss less than four weeks. Seattle takes on Washington in Week 3, followed by the Chargers in Week 4.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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