Seahawks LB Darrell Taylor Carted Off With Apparent Neck Injury

The second-year defender suffered the injury while making a tackle on Pittsburgh running back Najee Harris and remained down on the field for several minutes, but initial CT scans were negative and he's expected to fly home with the team.

In a scary scene at Heinz Field late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Steelers, Seahawks linebacker Darrell Taylor left the field on a cart strapped to a stretcher with an apparent head/neck injury.

With Pittsburgh driving inside four minutes to play in regulation, Taylor tackled running back Najee Harris and took an inadvertent shot to the helmet from teammate Kerry Hyder. He remained on the ground for several minutes before a cart was called out by the training staff and he had his face mask removed from his helmet to be loaded on a stretcher.

Both teams remained huddled around him and several players including Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Seahawks defensive end Carlos Dunlap urged the crowd to stop doing the wave in the stands understanding the significance of the injury.

Per coach Pete Carroll in his post-game press conference, Taylor wasn't happy about being carted off the field and wanted to get up, but the team's medical staff wouldn't allow him to for precautionary reasons.

Our thoughts are with @darrelltaylorst. He is alert, has use of all of his extremities, and his CT scans were clear. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ngHilyX5OL

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 18, 2021

NBC Sports reported during the broadcast that Taylor had movement in his extremities and Carroll confirmed that report after the game, indicating the second-year defender's initial CT scans came back negative. He's expected to fly home with the team early Monday morning and undergo further testing.

We will provide further updates on Taylor's prognosis as they become readily available.