Mike Macdonald doubles down on Sam Darnold's status for Seahawks vs. 49ers

It felt like the sky was falling for Seattle Seahawks fans on Thursday, at least for a short time, after it was reported that quarterback Sam Darnold was dealing with a new oblique injury and was questionable for the team's Divisional Round game against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.

When Darnold spoke to the media later that day, however, he said he felt there was a "closer to zero [percent]" chance that he wouldn't play on Saturday. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald maintained that level of confidence on Friday.

“I heard what he said yesterday to you guys, [and] I see it the same way. So, we’re listing him as questionable, really optimistic he’s going to be able to play, and right now we’re going through all the protocol just out of caution to make sure we’re ready to go," Macdonald told reporters.

"We’ll test it out tomorrow and kind of make the final decision, but again, we’re optimistic he’s going to play. If he doesn’t, or at some point he doesn’t, Drew [Lock] is ready to go, and that’s why Drew’s here. He’s doing a great job, so.”

Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald speaks in a press conference after defeating the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field. | Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Macdonald declined to provide an answer on whether he expects Darnold to be limited if he does start on Saturday. But Macdonald did say Darnold expects "to go do his thing at 100 percent" and that they wouldn't "put him out there if he couldn't do his job."

In the event Darnold is out or can't finish the game, Lock will be the immediate backup and rookie Jalen Milroe will be the emergency third quarterback. Macdonald said they didn't do anything different for Milroe's preparation as a joke.

"He’s doesn’t take all the reps throughout the week, but he’s doing the same thing he does every week," Macdonald said of Milroe. "I mean, he’s been our emergency third [quarterback] for a good bit, so he’s got to be ready to go if need be."

For now, all signs still point to Darnold leading the Seahawks into their most important game in more than a decade. He was trending upward on Friday, instead of downward.

“Yeah, he says he feels better,” Macdonald said.

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