Quarterback Sam Darnold suffered an injury just five snaps into the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl defense this season after being taken down by the New England Patriots' defense
Sam Darnold #14 of the Seattle Seahawks takes the field prior to the game against the New England Patriots at Lumen Field on September 09, 2026 in Seattle, Washington
Sam Darnold was ruled questionable to return after suffering a hip injury against the New England Patriots(Image: Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
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Sam Darnold was ruled questionable after sustaining a hip injury in the Seattle Seahawks' opener against the New England Patriots, starting the 2026 NFL season the worst possible way.
On just the Seahawks' fifth snap of the game, Darnold was chased by a swarming Patriots defense before eventually being brought down by New England linebacker Dre'Mont Jones. After the play, Darnold was spotted grimacing as he made his way to the sidelines.
While the Patriots were on offense, the quarterback was escorted to the medical tent for examination. On NBC's replay, it showed that Darnold's right knee was driven into the ground as Jones brought him down on the play, putting a damper on their chances to win early.
During that time, Darnold's limp became more evident, prompting concern as he was quickly replaced by veteran quarterback Drew Lock. The Seahawks then confirmed that Darnold would be listed as questionable to return due to a hip injury after he limped back to the locker room to undergo X-rays.
NBC Sports' Kaylee Hartung provided more details in the moments after Darnold emerged from the medical tent, clearly nursing his lower body from the play.
"You could see Sam there flanked by the team's head athletic trainer and their head orthopedic surgeon," she began on the broadcast. "When Sam first came off the field, he was waving the training staff off."
Sam Darnold was brought down on his right knee by the New England Patriots defense
Sam Darnold was brought down on his right knee by the New England Patriots defense(Image: NBC)
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Hartung added that before the call for Darnold to head to the locker room was made, the star was doing what he could to work off the injury so that he could avoid a trip to the back.
"You could see him digging his right hand into his right hip, trying to keep it losse," she continued. "By the time the trainer talked him into going into the blue tent for evaluation, Sam started to limp.
"And you could see him as he left the field, that gait, that limp in his walk. He's now in the X-ray room, Mike."
In his very brief stint on the field, Darnold completed just one of his two pass attempts for 13 yards and was sacked once by Jones. Meanwhile, Lock has yet to find comfort as the Seahawks had to turn to him to help get Seattle back to their winning ways.