Sam Darnold injury update: Seahawks QB's oblique issue 'precautionary,' expected to play vs. 49ers

Seattle Seahawks QB Sam Darnold is expected to play Saturday night against the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Divisional Round. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Darnold dealt with an oblique issue this week, following a bye, but will be out on the field against San Francisco.

Leading Seattle to a 14-3 record and the No. 1 seed, Darnold and the Seahawks are two wins from getting to their fourth Super Bowl in franchise history. To get there, and to beat their division rival, they’ll need Darnold.

“Sam Darnold should be good to go,” Fowler said on SportsCenter. “I checked with a source in the building, they said he is expected to play … But had a bit of an oblique issue that flared up on Thursday, so he took himself out of practice. Backup Drew Lock took some of those snaps, that was more precautionary. That’s my understanding. The 49ers fully expect Darnold to go, and they expect him to play well. So they know they have to hit him and hit him often in the pocket to have a chance here.”

It was a surprise to see Darnold on the injury report earlier this week. As Fowler pointed out, Drew Lock is the primary backup while rookie Jalen Milroe (Alabama) is third on the depth chart.

Darnold started all 17 games for the Seahawks this season, his first with the club after signing a three-year, $100.5 million contract this past offseason. The 28-year-old put together another productive campaign, throwing for 4,048 yards, 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions on 67.7% passing. 

He created an instant connection with wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards. Darnold was named to the Pro Bowl for the second consecutive season.

By the time toe meets leather Saturday, it will have been 14 days since the Seahawks last played. It came against these 49ers, a game in which decided the division championship, and the top seed in the conference. The Seahawks took care of business thanks to a dominant effort from their defense. They limited the 49ers to just three points and 173 total yards.

It will be interesting to see if the time off affects Seattle. However, it’s San Francisco up against it on paper. For starters, the 49ers played this past Sunday across the country in Philadelphia. It’s just a six-day break for San Francisco, which is dealing with several key injuries on both its offense and defense.