The Seattle Seahawks ruled out just one player for Saturday night's NFC playoff matchup against the San Francisco 49ers—tackle Josh Jones (knee). However, one designation on the injury report drew more attention: quarterback Sam Darnold was listed as questionable due to an oblique injury.
Despite the listing, there is little expectation that Darnold will miss the game, especially with a trip to the NFC Championship Game at stake. Still, the late addition came as a surprise.
Darnold had not appeared on any of this week's previous Seahawks injury reports, making the oblique issue a new development on Thursday. The quarterback explained that the discomfort surfaced early in practice, prompting him to step away as a precaution.
"In routes on air, just kind of felt a little something in my oblique," Darnold told reporters. "Just didn't want to push it. It wasn't the day to push it. So, that was it. So, just came inside, got some rehab, and feel like I'll be ready to go for Saturday."
Sam Darnold said he expects to be ready to play. Said there is close to 0% chance he won't play. pic.twitter.com/BeUOujGZAo
— Brian Nemhauser (@hawkblogger) January 15, 2026
Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, the brother of 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak, deferred questions about Darnold's status to head coach Mike Macdonald, who is scheduled to address the media on Friday. That's when further clarity on the situation is expected. Even so, all signs continue to point toward Darnold starting against the 49ers.
When asked about the likelihood of not playing on Saturday, Darnold was confident.
"Very low percentage," he said, via Curtis Crabtree of FOX 13 Seattle. "Probably closer to zero."
With Darnold sidelined for most of Thursday's session, Drew Lock handled the first-team snaps in practice.