Seahawks QB Sam Darnold Out vs. Cardinals With Quad Injury

Seahawks fans just can't catch a break at quarterback this year.

Sam Darnold won't play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals because of a quad injury, coach Mike Macdonald announced Wednesday. Darnold got hurt at the end of Monday night's loss to the Bears. Macdonald said he's week-to-week, but he's not going on injured reserve, and Drew Lock is in line to start with Jalen Milroe as the backup.

The timing stings. That 34-17 loss in Chicago dropped the defending Super Bowl champs to 4-4, and the offense had already been sputtering before Darnold went down. Now they have to try to climb back without their starter, against a division rival, with a backup who's banged up himself.

Drew Lock Gets the Call Again

"Sam injured his quad at the end of the game, so Sam's going to be out this week," Macdonald said. "It's going to be week to week for Sam. He's not going to go on (injured reserve)."

Lock isn't fully healthy either. He's missed the past two games with an elbow injury and was the emergency third quarterback in Week 8, with Milroe dressing as Darnold's backup. Macdonald said the team would get both quarterbacks ready. "We have full confidence in those guys and will have a plan in place," he said.

Lock Has Already Beaten Arizona Once

This is where Seattle can feel a little better. Darnold hurt his glute on the first series of the opener against New England, and Lock stepped in for the rest of that game and the next one. In Week 2, he went 19 of 26 for 235 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-7 win over the Cardinals. Over those first two weeks, he threw four touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Cardinals are 3-5, have won two of their last three, and are rolling out a new starter of their own in Gardner Minshew. So it's a backup-heavy matchup on both sides.

What to Watch Sunday

Cardinals at Seahawks kicks off at 4:25 p.m. ET at Lumen Field. The thing to watch is Lock's elbow. If he's on the practice report all week, Milroe could be closer to the field than anyone in Seattle wants.

Smacktok pick lean: Lean higher on Lock's passing touchdowns against Arizona if he's cleared. He threw three against the Cardinals in Week 2 and four with no interceptions in his two-game stretch filling in for Darnold.