Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold will not play in Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals due to a quad injury suffered in Monday night’s loss to the Chicago Bears, coach Mike Macdonald said Wednesday.
Darnold played every snap in the 34-17 loss to the Bears. Macdonald said Darnold suffered a cracked rib on the second play and then injured his quad near the end of the game. Darnold is “week to week” but will not go on injured reserve, Macdonald said.
The Seahawks plan to start backup Drew Lock in Darnold’s place, although Lock is working through an injury to his throwing elbow, which Macdonald said he suffered during a rainy practice a few weeks ago. Lock couldn’t throw much in recent practices and did not participate during pregame warmups before being inactive in Week 7 and 8, with third-stringer Jalen Milroe serving as the backup against the Chiefs and Bears.
“He’s able to throw,” Macdonald said of Lock. “How much? We’re working through that right now. … He’s gonna throw the ball throughout the week, but we’re just gonna manage it. He’s not gonna take 8,000 throws.”
The coach said both Lock and Milroe will work with the starters this week, and the Seahawks added former 49ers and Jets quarterback Adrian Martinez to the practice squad.
“They’ll be splitting reps for a certain amount of time,” Macdonald said of Lock and Milroe. “At some point, we have to make a decision on who’s playing. … The plan is for (Lock) to play, but it wouldn’t be fair to Jalen to go the whole week and then tell him, ‘Ah, (Lock) can’t play.’ Jalen’s gonna need some of those reps, too.”
Darnold was injured when Bears defensive back Kyler Gordon drove him to the ground on the second play of Monday’s game, one of six quarterback knockdowns by Chicago’s defense (a roughing-the-passer penalty nullified a seventh). He also took a few hits while scrambling, including a heavy shot from linebacker Devin Bush as Darnold was sliding — Seahawks players appealed for a penalty, but no flag was thrown — on the third play of the game.
Macdonald said he didn’t know Darnold was playing through a rib injury until after the game, which proved to be Seattle’s worst loss since December 2024.
“He’s tough as nails,” Macdonald said. “Played the whole game without even making a name of it, playing his tail off and competing. I just think it’s worth noting how tough this guy is. He’ll be back sooner than later, I’m sure.”
The coach added that the quad injury, not the rib injury, is keeping Darnold out. In seven games this season, Darnold has completed 60.2 percent of his passes for 1,478 yards, 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
This will be the second time this season Darnold will be out due to an injury. He hurt his glute five plays into the season opener against the New England Patriots and missed most of two games.
“It’s tough,” Macdonald said of Darnold’s injury-plagued start to the season. “Just seeing him now, talking to him after the game, it’s a challenge. But I’ve got a lot of respect for how he goes through these things, because he goes through it. There’s no blink. There’s no flinch.
“It’s very matter-of-fact, attacking mentality. I think that’s reflective of the rest of our team, which I appreciate.”
Lock played the rest of the opener and started in Week 2 against the Cardinals, helping the Seahawks win both games while throwing for 422 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions before Darnold returned in Week 3.
“It was very workmanlike with the group, because of the confidence they’ve had in Drew, because of the training camp he’s had, because of the way he’s played since he’s been here,” Macdonald said. “I’m expecting it to feel the same.”
The Seahawks are 4-4, having already surpassed their loss total from last year’s Super Bowl-winning season, and sit eighth in the NFC. After hosting the Cardinals on Sunday, they will visit the Las Vegas Raiders (led by former Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak) on Nov. 15 before a bye in Week 11.
Macdonald said Darnold could play against Las Vegas, depending on how his rehab progresses.
Meanwhile, left tackle Charles Cross (ankle), Rashid Shaheed (knee), defensive tackle Leonard Williams (stinger) and Uchenna Nwosu (toe) all have a chance to return against the Cardinals, Macdonald said. Williams left Monday’s game in the third quarter, and the other three did not play against Chicago.
