TOP STORIES
Injury
The Seahawks Say Short-Term. Nobody Will Say a Date.
The Seahawks put their own words on Sam Darnold’s injury Monday, in writing, through a statement handed to local reporters: a “very unique soft-tissue” injury, the hip joint unaffected, considered short-term, with no firm timeline for his return. Darnold was in the building. He was not on the field during the warmup window media are allowed to watch.
That statement landed roughly twenty-four hours after Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk reported, citing a source, that Darnold could miss four to six weeks, with surgery not anticipated. So the official line and the reported line now sit side by side, and neither one of them contains a calendar date. Two things can be true at once: the injury is short-term and nobody knows when it ends. That is not reassurance. That is a shrug with a press release attached.
The detail that stuck with me came out of ESPN’s reporting, and it wasn’t the diagnosis. Darnold was taken to Harborview Medical Center for testing during the opener and stayed overnight, partly because of how much pain he was in. A guy who won a Super Bowl seven months ago spent the first night of the title defense in a hospital bed while the rest of us were arguing about false starts.
5
Plays Sam Darnold got in the opening drive of Seattle’s title defense before he limped to the locker room.
He was hurt on the fifth play, when his right knee hit the turf as he was sacked from behind. Jay Glazer reported the team is gathering up to four second opinions, which tells you the medical staff has never seen this exact thing either. Seattle has kept him off injured reserve, which says they expect him back inside a month, and it is quietly obvious they’d rather let Drew Lock take Arizona than rush a quarterback whose glute tendon is now a group project.
Macdonald doesn’t speak until Wednesday. Until then the entire fan base is reading a written statement like it’s a tax document.
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A guy who won a Super Bowl seven months ago spent the first night of the title defense in a hospital bed while the rest of us were arguing about false starts.
SOURCES →
Week 2
Vegas Looked at Drew Lock and Made Us Road Favorites Anyway
Keep Reading ↓
41.5
The posted total for Sunday at Arizona, which tells you exactly how much scoring Vegas expects from a Drew Lock offense.
The Cardinals, meanwhile, are the team that just went into SoFi Stadium as the week’s biggest underdog and beat the Chargers 26-14. Jacoby Brissett has now thrown for at least 200 yards and a touchdown in thirteen straight starts, which broke a franchise record Kurt Warner set across 2008 and 2009. Read that sentence twice. Arizona has a quarterback playing the best sustained stretch of anybody who has ever held that job, and the market still thinks this is a five-and-a-half-point game.
I understand the math. Our defense took Drake Maye’s soul in a single quarter, the run game worked, and SportsLine’s model has Seattle covering in 65% of simulations. I also remember what this division does to favorites who show up feeling good about themselves. State Farm Stadium in September is a road game with a roof and a crowd that finally has a reason to show up early.
Give me the win, not the cover. Five and a half points is somebody else’s problem.
SOURCES →
AROUND THE COOP
Around the Coop
PFF named Jaxon Smith-Njigba the best player in the opener, and the underlying numbers are absurd: 4.69 yards per route run, 64 yards after the catch and a 139.2 passer rating when targeted on eight catches from eleven targets. He did that with the backup quarterback throwing. PFF
Drew Lock on the fourth-and-1 heavy set that became a 45-yard touchdown: “No, definitely never ran it. Looked kind of funny before the snap.” He had zero practice reps all week, read a play he’d never run, and found his third option. Fleury can work with that. Seahawks.com
The other injuries haven’t moved much. Ty Okada’s hamstring still has him out, while Nick Emmanwori and Tory Horton were available for warmups in Week 1 but limited. Rodney Thomas II started at safety off the practice squad and intercepted nothing, which somehow understates his night. SI
NFC WEST SCHADENFREUDE REPORT
RAMS
Myles Garrett, asked about his focus heading into Week 2, went with “Getting healthy. That’s the main thing,” then added that when he was out there against San Francisco he was thinking about himself more than the defense: “I wasn’t who I needed to be for my team.” He’s on injured reserve after knee surgery. And McVay, asked whether Aaron Donald plays Monday night, said they haven’t decided yet. Los Angeles shipped out Jared Verse and premium picks and currently cannot confirm that either famous pass rusher will be on the field.
CARDINALS
Mike LaFleur told reporters Monday he had already put in nearly five hours on Seattle before the press conference started, and that he’d essentially wiped the Chargers win from memory: “I forgot about (Sunday’s) game.” Then, on the hype: “It’s just noise. Nothing matters.” Sir, you won one football game in your entire head coaching career. You are allowed to enjoy the Monday. We’ll take the enjoyment away from you on Sunday.
SEACHICKENS TRIVIA
This Seahawks safety led the NFL with 10 interceptions in 1984, two of them returned for touchdowns, and became the first player in franchise history to be named Defensive Player of the Year. Who is he?
Tap to Reveal the Answer
Kenny Easley. That 1984 Seattle defense forced 63 turnovers, a post-merger NFL record, and “The Enforcer” was the reason opposing receivers heard footsteps for the rest of the decade.
THIS DAY IN SEAHAWKS HISTORY
2002
September 15, 2002
The First Game in the New Stadium Went About How You’d Expect
Seattle played its first regular season game in the building we now call Lumen Field on September 15, 2002, two and a half years after the Kingdome came down on the same block. The opponent was the Arizona Cardinals. The result was a 24-13 loss. Twenty-four years later to the week, the Seahawks are headed to Arizona again, this time as defending champions with a backup quarterback. The scheduling office has a sense of humor.
Got a Question? Feed It to Me.
Cap math, depth chart grievances, conspiracy theories about the glute. Send it in and I’ll answer it in front of everyone, which is the only honest way to do this.
Macdonald talks Wednesday. Until then we're all just reading statements. — The Rooster