Sam Darnold suffered an injury on Wednesday
Sam Darnold suffered an injury on Wednesday
Sam Darnold suffered a game-ending injury during Week 1 of the NFL season as the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots opened the year with a Super Bowl rematch
The NFL's opening game of the season forced two of the biggest NFL stars, one from the Seattle Seahawks and one from the New England Patriots, out of action well before the final whistle at Lumen Field.
The Seahawks marched onto their home field with the swagger of champions and were still riding the high of February's Super Bowl win and parade after defeating Mike Vrabel's Patriots 29-13 at Levi's Stadium.
Both teams walked into Week 1 with inactive players, and the Seahawks announced safety Nick Emmanwori wouldn't play due to an ankle injury just before kickoff. The opening night injury report began to pile up, starting with Super Bowl winner Sam Darnold and ending with the fall of A.J. Brown.
Darnold was injured during the first drive of the game and was later listed officially as OUT with a hip injury. The franchise QB was integral to the team's success last season and completed 19-of-38 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown in the big game last season.
New England traded for A.J. Brown last June, only for their star wide receiver to limp off the field in the third quarter with an ankle injury after a Seahawks defender fell on his leg. The Pats hope to avoid a high ankle sprain that would require weeks of recovery.
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An anticipated Super Bowl match
Sam Darnold entered the new season as a Super Bowl champion after beating New England 20-13 to win Super Bowl LX and starting all 17 games for Seattle in 2025 and throwing for 4,048 yards during his career revival. ( Image: Getty Images)
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Feeling immediate pain
Darnold showed discomfort immediately after the sack and limped toward the sideline, where Seattle's medical staff evaluated the QB before he entered the blue tent as fans wondered if their franchise star would return. ( Image: NBC)
A.J. Brown sustained an ankle injury in the New England Patriots' 2026 NFL season opener7 of 9
An injury-plagued matchup
A.J. Brown sustained an ankle injury in the New England Patriots' 2026 NFL season opener
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AJ Brown's night over
Brown was eventually ruled out officially and finished his first Patriots appearance with three receptions for 26 yards, adding another injury blow to a top NFL star throughout a bruising season opener. ( Image: Getty Images)