Seahawks injury updates: Mike Macdonald delivers good news after Week 2 win

The NFL season is a war of atrition, as often times, the team that wins the Super Bowl is the one that just so happens to be the hottest and healthiest at the right time. However, even injuries this early in the season can have major lasting consequences.

Thankfully, the Seattle Seahawks avoided that fate on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

There was some concern surrounding starting center Jalen Sundell, who went to the locker room in the fourth quarter for then-unknown reasons. However, head coach Mike Macdonald confirmed after the game that Sundell is OK and only dealt with cramping. Macdonald also had no other injury news, putting the cherry on top of a delicious Sunday.

Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Jalen Sundell (61) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"Jalen, he cramped, I think, in his leg," Macdonald told reporters. "So I don't think it's anything serious. There's really no other injuries to report."

Sundell, a former undrafted free agent out of North Dakota State, earned the starting job out of camp over Olu Oluwatimi, who started for much of last season after Connor Williams' abrupt retirement. He wasn't great in last week's season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, posting an overall grade of 56.5 according to Pro Football Focus, but played better against the Steelers. In fact, the whole team did.

Seahawks show marked improvement vs. Steelers

All around, the Seahawks played a far better game on Sunday. Not perfect, but better.

Sam Darnold looked far more comfortable in his second game as a Seahawk, throwing for 295 yards and two touchdowns while shaking off two early interceptions. The same can be said for Cooper Kupp, who had seven receptions for 90 yards after a quiet debut last week.

The ground game was possibly the biggest improvement, as Kenneth Walker had himself a day with 13 carries for 105 yards (8.1 yards per attempt) and a touchdown. Rushing for four yards per attempt as a team still isn't great, but it's far better than what the Seahawks showed last week.

Add in another solid performance from the defense, which limited the Steelers to 267 total yards and picked off Aaron Rodgers twice, and this might be the Seahawks' recipe for success.

Seahawks show marked improvement vs. Steelers

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