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The Seattle Seahawks' Super Bowl title defense got off to an inauspicious start as they lost their starting quarterback on their first drive.
Sam Darnold was forced to leave the contest early in the first quarter after a sack appeared to cause a right leg injury. Darnold has been fairly healthy in the past two years, starting 34 combined games for the Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings, but did have injury issues to begin his NFL career.
If Darnold can't continue, the Seahawks will face a challenge they never faced during their magical 2025 season. However, Seattle does have a veteran quarterback as a backup in case something like this happens.
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Here's what happened to Darnold in the first quarter.
What happened to Sam Darnold?
Darnold suffered a hip injury on the Seahawks' first drive of the game, which ended in a Patriots sack on 3rd-and-6. Patriots defensive tackle Dre'Mont Jones chased Darnold down and sacked the quarterback, but he landed on Darnold's right leg in the process.
Darnold limped off the field and initially tried to wave away the medical staff, but he ended up in the blue tent anyway. Then, the medical staff took Darnold to the locker room for further evaluation, as the quarterback had a prominent limp.
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) September 10, 2026Will Sam Darnold return?
The Seahawks ruled Darnold as questionable to return to the game with a hip injury as he continued to get evaluated in the locker room. Considering this is Week 1, and that the Seahawks have 11 days until they play next, the team will likely be cautious with their starting quarterback.
.@Seahawks injury update: QB Sam Darnold is Questionable (hip).
— Seahawks PR (@seahawksPR) September 10, 2026MORE WEEK 1 NFL:
Seahawks QB depth chart
| Rank | Quarterback |
| 1. | Sam Darnold |
| 2. | Drew Lock |
| 3. | Jalen Milroe |
Darnold has been the Seahawks' starting quarterback since the start of the 2025 season, when he helped lead the team to a Super Bowl championship. Now entering his second season as a starter, Darnold is cemented in that spot thanks to his play throughout last year.
Behind Darnold is Drew Lock, a veteran quarterback in his second stint with the Seahawks. Lock first joined Seattle as part of the Russell Wilson trade with the Denver Broncos, and he started two games and played in four during the 2023 season. After a stop with the New York Giants, Lock returned to Seattle last year, where he played in five games as Darnold's backup.
The Seahawks' third-string quarterback is Jalen Milroe, the former Alabama quarterback whom Seattle drafted in the third round in 2025. Milroe appeared in three games for the Seahawks as a rookie, where he worked primarily as a wildcat quarterback.
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