Sam Darnold, our starting quarterback, looks absolutely ready to suit up for the Seahawks this Sunday after missing just one game. He was a full participant in Thursday’s practice, giving us all the good vibes, and even had media availability, which is usually a massive green light for anyone on the injury bubble. This is HUGE for the Emerald City, no doubt.
Darnold’s Back and Ready to Cook
Remember that scare? Darnold went down with a glute injury just five plays into the opening game against the Patriots. It felt like forever, with initial timelines bouncing from “a couple of weeks” to “over a month.” But thankfully, the messaging around his health has been nothing but positive as we geared up for this week. Our QB felt it himself on Thursday, saying he was “feeling good” and “taking it day-by-day.” He’s balancing his reps and doing “everything I need to get ready,” which is exactly what we want to hear. And get this: he’s “striving for [playing on Sunday],” though he joked about not wanting to “jinx anything.” You gotta love that mindset!
While Darnold was sidelined, Drew Lock stepped up big time in our 31-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals. The dude threw three touchdown passes to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, took only one sack, and had zero turnovers. He totally deputized extremely well, showing he’s got what it takes. It seemed like he might be needed more often, but with Darnold looking like he’s just another practice away from coming back, we’re back to our guy. Still, it’s good to know Lock can ball out if needed. We’ll see how Friday’s practice shakes out, but all signs point to Darnold leading the charge.
Secondary Scares and Depth Concerns
Just when we’re all feeling great about Darnold, a new name popped up on the injury report, and it’s a gut punch: safety Julian Love. The guy practiced on Wednesday, but was a DNP on Thursday with a calf injury. That’s a real concern for us, the 12s, especially heading into Friday’s game designations. We’ve still got Ty Okada out with his hamstring issue, which means our secondary depth is getting tested big time.
Right now, we’ve got Rodney Thomas II and A.J. Finley as available backups, and it’s totally possible both could be pressed into starting duties this Sunday. Plus, Maxen Hook and D’Anthony Bell are ready to roll off the practice squad. It’s wild to think about that many guys potentially stepping in. When you look at the full injury report from Thursday, it’s really Love, Brandon Pili, and Jadarian Price who are the clear question marks for Sunday’s game. This puts a ton of pressure on the rest of the defense to step up.
This Sunday, with Darnold potentially back under center, the stakes are sky-high for us to keep building that early season momentum. We need to see how our secondary handles these new injury challenges. Let’s get loud for the boys, Emerald City, and push them to another win!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Field Gulls.
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