Darnold Hip Fracture Ruled Out

Sam Darnold's hip X-rays ruled out a fracture after Seattle's 13-10 win over the Patriots. Coach Mike Macdonald said postgame the Seahawks got "great news" on the quarterback who left the opening drive of Wednesday night's Kickoff Game at Lumen Field, per Seahawks.com. More tests are still coming. Macdonald would not give a Week 2 Arizona prognosis yet.

That update lands after a nightmare opener script flipped into a title-defense win. Dre'Mont Jones sacked Darnold to end Seattle's first possession. Darnold limped to the blue tent, then the locker room, and was ruled out before halftime. Drew Lock finished the night and the defense stole the game late.

Lock, JSN, and three late picks

Lock completed 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown, per Reuters Field Level Media. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught eight passes for 122 yards and the game-tying 45-yard score on fourth down early in the fourth. Seattle trailed 10-0 before Lock and the offense got rolling, and we already tracked the early scare when Darnold left and Lock took over in the first quarter.

The Seahawks sealed it with chaos. Nehemiah Pritchett, Julian Love, and Josh Jobe all picked Drake Maye in the fourth. Jobe's end-zone interception with 21 seconds left ended New England's last push after the Patriots converted two fourth downs on the final drive. Jason Myers' chip-shot field goal had put Seattle up 13-10.

What Macdonald actually said

"At this point we were able to rule out a fracture," Macdonald said. "There's some more tests to be done, so that's what I'm saying when it's positive. We're still working through all of that, but right now, fracture is out, which is great news." Asked about Arizona in Week 2, he answered straight: "I really don't know. I don't know what the extent is."

For Seahawks fans, fracture-out is the best first result you can get on a hip scare. It is not a clearance. Lock just proved he can win a rematch of Super Bowl LX on short notice, and that buys Seattle time if the next round of imaging keeps Darnold out. Watch the next practice notes. The fracture is gone from the board. The Week 2 starter question is not.

Opening night already delivered the first real gut check of the 2026 season. Seattle answered it with a backup, a defense that flipped three turnovers, and a coach who walked into the postgame with better news than the limp suggested. Fracture ruled out. Tests still pending. Arizona still unmarked.