Rich: What an Extended Sam Darnold Absence Could Mean for the Seahawks’ Season

The Seattle Seahawks are 1-0, and Rich pointed out the strange part. They got there with their star quarterback playing five snaps.

When Sam Darnold went down and limped off, Rich assumed he would shake it off. Then Darnold walked into the blue tent, and during the game Rich heard he was at a hospital getting a CT scan. That rumor turned out to be true, and given how dreadful hip injuries can be, the room braced for bad news.

Instead, Mike Macdonald delivered relief after the game. "We were able to rule out a fracture," he said. "There's some more tests to be done. But right now, I think fracture's out, which is great news."

Rich's first takeaway was about depth. "This is why you can't make it up in the NFL and why you can't have too much depth at any position," he said. He never expected to be discussing Jalen Milroe's readiness after week one, but if Darnold had a fracture and was out for the year, that would be the question. Albert Breer had already said on the show that Jimmy Garoppolo would be on Seattle's speed dial.

The reporting since has been encouraging. Rich cited Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport both saying the Seahawks dodged a bullet, with Rapoport adding that Darnold should be back sooner rather than later, possibly in just a few weeks. Rich noted there are 17 days from Wednesday until Seattle's week three game against the Commanders, which amounts to a schedule break.

He walked through that schedule. Seattle plays at Arizona and then at Washington, two teams that drafted in the top 10 last year and will be looking for their footing, and the Seahawks are the home opener for both. Week four, October 4th, brings the Chargers to Seattle, and Rich said that would be one where you would prefer Drew Lock isn't starting.

Still, Lock earned real credit. Early on, it looked to the room like the Patriots had it wrapped up, and nobody saw three fourth-quarter interceptions coming. Someone on set summed up Lock's night: no turnovers, no big negative plays, around a 70% completion rate, and the huge fourth-down throw. "Even if Sam Darnold did have to miss half the season, I think they're in good hands."

That's why teams keep veterans like Lock around, Rich said, and why he believes Mac Jones isn't going anywhere as long as he's under contract with the 49ers. The contrast came up immediately: the Rams don't have a veteran backup, which raises the question of what happens if something happens to Matthew Stafford.

Lock explained how he stays ready in his postgame press conference, and it was literal. "My biggest thing is always just drawing every play as much as I can," he said. He keeps a whiteboard next to his bed, drawing plays at night and in the morning. "Because of the lack of reps, you don't get to physically do it. I got to be able to draw it from somewhere, and no pun intended, drawing it helps me draw it from somewhere."

Rich had his own whiteboard story. His wife, Susie, keeps one on her side of the bed, hits him over the head with it, and it says "Stop snoring." "It's successful, just like Drew Lock," he said.

Then Rich went through the defense, which he called sick. Ernest Jones had 13 tackles, eight solo. Leonard Williams and Drake Thomas each had a sack. DeMarcus Lawrence's stat line didn't jump out, but Rich pointed to the final interception, when Lawrence jumped out to keep Drake Maye in the pocket. If Maye rolls out, he can run or throw it away and play for overtime. Instead he stayed in and made "a horrible decision," and Lawrence's role never shows up on a stat sheet. Derrick Hall added a sack and a tackle for loss, making up for a bad 15-yard penalty.

The penalties are what Rich expects Macdonald to be harping on. Seattle gave New England an extra possession with a roughing the punter call and shoved Maye way out of bounds. "Stupid penalties you just didn't see from Seattle all last year cropped up last night," Rich said. "But they overcame it all, which is what champions do."

If Darnold's absence turns into six weeks, Rich sees the stretch that matters. After Arizona, Washington and the Chargers comes a San Francisco home date, then a Thursday night game at Denver, where Lock was drafted. Weeks six through eight bring three straight prime time games, at Denver, home for Kansas City and home for Chicago. "Those are games you really want Darnold back for."

Someone raised the obvious hypothetical. What if Lock goes 5-1 and creates a quarterback controversy? Rich shut it down. "Backup quarterbacks that go five and one are doing their jobs." He pointed back to Cooper Rush filling in for Dak Prescott, when Jerry Jones floated a quarterback controversy, and noted the show didn't take that cheese.

There was also a Hard Knocks connection. Someone on set remembered Jason Garrett talking to Seattle's quarterback room, with Lock and Milroe, about what it takes to be a backup, including drawing out plays because the reps won't come. Maybe Lock took it to heart.

Rich also praised Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who ran away from everyone on the game-defining fourth-down play and finished with 122 receiving yards on a night when little else was working. The table added that he had eight catches on 11 targets, and that Cooper Kupp's one-handed grab came while he was being held with the other arm.

Brian Flores got a shout-out for his first game as offensive coordinator, adjusting on the fly after losing a Super Bowl winning quarterback. Rich extended it to Macdonald, who hired Flores and calls the defense, and to general manager John Schneider, "who just keeps on reloading with guys you've never heard of who just keep making plays in the team concept."

As for Darnold's final line from week one: one of two for 13 yards. "That's why they're the champs," someone said.