Sam Darnold Ruled Out With Hip Injury Five Snaps Into Seahawks' Season Opener

Sam Darnold's title defense lasted five plays.

The Seattle Seahawks quarterback was sacked by New England Patriots linebacker Dre'Mont Jones on third-and-6 during Seattle's opening drive of Wednesday night's season opener at Lumen Field, according to NFL.com. Darnold went down hard, and by the time Seattle punted, he was visibly limping.

NBC/Peacock play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico flagged the limp on the broadcast before Darnold even reached the medical tent, according to Fox News. Darnold was checked in the blue sideline tent during New England's ensuing possession, then made his way to the locker room as Drew Lock warmed up to take over, per NBC Sports.

Seattle initially listed Darnold as questionable to return. The team officially ruled him out with a hip injury shortly before halftime, according to NFL.com. At that point New England led 7-0.

Darnold finished the night 1-for-2 passing for 13 yards before exiting, according to USA Today and the AOL wire report carrying the same USA Today reporting. He was sacked once, on the play that ended his night.

A rough start

The injury comes hours after Seattle raised its Super Bowl banner before kickoff, according to Fox News, capping a 2025 season in which Darnold led the Seahawks to a franchise-record 14-3 record. He threw for 4,048 yards with 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in the regular season, completing 67.7% of his passes, per KSL News. In the playoffs, he threw five touchdowns and zero interceptions across three wins, including a Super Bowl victory over these same Patriots back in February, according to Fox News.

That run followed a comeback season in Minnesota that revived Darnold's career as a starter. Now Seattle is looking at the possibility of opening its title defense with its backup under center, at least for this game.

Who's next up

Drew Lock replaced Darnold for Seattle's second drive. Lock has spent four of the last five seasons with the Seahawks, appearing in nine games with two starts, completing 63.3% of his passes for 558 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in that stretch, according to AOL and USA Today. For his career, the former Denver Broncos second-round pick is 10-18 in 28 starts, with 6,369 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and 28 interceptions across 41 appearances.

If Lock also goes down, the Seahawks' depth chart drops to Jalen Milroe, a third-round pick in the 2025 draft who logged three carries for four yards and zero pass attempts as a rookie, per AOL. Milroe can only enter if both Darnold and Lock are ruled out for the rest of the game.

The open questions

None of the available reporting includes imaging results, an MRI timetable, or a practice-squad or roster move from the team. The Seahawks have not put a firm return date on Darnold, and "hip injury" designations can range from a minor bruise to something that costs a starter multiple weeks. Coverage from NFL.com, KSL News, USA Today and NBC Sports is consistent on the sequence of events. None of the sources report any suggestion the hit from Jones was a penalty or a dirty play. Fox News specifically noted there was nothing malicious about the sack, attributing the injury to how Darnold landed on the turf rather than to the contact itself.

The next concrete marker will be Seattle's official injury report ahead of Week 2, which typically includes a practice participation designation. Until then, how long Darnold is out, and whether Lock or Milroe takes the reins for an extended stretch, remains an open question the team has not answered.