Sam Darnold's status for Seahawks vs. 49ers a real concern

Saturday night’s game between the No. 1 seed Seattle Seahawks and the No. 6-seeded San Francisco 49ers has taken a quick turn into uncertainty. On Wednesday, the Seahawks practiced with limited injury concerns, especially as some stars are returning. That changed on Wednesday with the new concern surrounding quarterback Sam Darnold.

On Thursday, Darnold was seen addressing his shoulder, and backup quarterback Drew Lock was taking the first-string snaps in practice. Darnold was still able to go through some routines, but Lock took control of the offense. Multiple reports say that Darnold suffered an oblique injury and is officially questionable on Saturday.

This immediately brought hesitation to Seahawk Nation, as the concern of Darnold not playing against the 49ers was a possibility. This is a game that requires everything to go right for the Seahawks to get the home win and advance to the NFC Championship.

Darnold addressed his oblique injury on Thursday, but had some positive news at the end.

“Yeah, obviously just in routes on air. Just kind of felt a little something in my oblique. I just didn’t want to push it; just wasn’t the day to push it, so that was it. So I came inside and got some rehab and feel like I’ll be ready to go on Saturday.”

When asked about what percentage he thinks he won’t play on Saturday versus the 49ers.

“Very low percentage. Probably closer to zero.”

Darnold said at another point that the oblique injury happened on Thursday. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak said he won’t address Darnold’s injury, and he will let head coach Mike Macdonald address it. Macdonald said he will talk about the injury on Friday.

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold running with the ball in the Week 16 win over the Los Angeles Rams. — Dec 18, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) runs against the Los Angeles Rams in the first half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The good news is that he expects to play against the 49ers, and it isn’t his throwing shoulder. The bad news is that he will likely not be 100% when he takes the field with the first-team offense.

The Seahawks need Darnold to be at his best despite many experts and casual critics saying he is a liability with his turnovers. Darnold was solid in Seattle’s 13-3 Week 18 road win over San Francisco when he completed 20-of-26 of his passes for 198 yards.

He was finding ways to extend drives and get difficult first downs against an aggressive 49ers. His only real mistake was not delivering a potential out-route touchdown pass to running back Zach Charbonnet early in the game.

The real stars of the game were the elite Seahawks’ defense and the rushing offense. Seattle held San Francisco’s dynamic offense to only 173 total yards, including 53 from the running game. This includes giving 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy one of his worst performances of his career.

Offensively, Charbonnet and Kenneth Walker III combined for 171 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries. It was also one of the best performances of the season from the offensive line, especially the interior line.

The Seahawks believe they can have the same production again two weeks later or something close to it. Much of the Seahawks’ success is on the shoulders of Darnold. This game is crucial for Darnold to shut down the critics who slam him for not possessing a playoff win.

This game would help redefine Darnold’s career, but he has a battle to go through before he potentially plays on Saturday. Outside of Darnold's oblique, the only other injury concern is backup left tackle Josh Jones being out with a knee injury.

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