So far, so good with Sam Darnold injury as Seahawks’ NFC title game week begins

So far, so good for Sam Darnold and his pain in his side.

The Pro Bowl quarterback who played through an oblique injury on his non-throwing side while the Seahawks beat San Francisco in the divisional playoffs Saturday night came out the game fine.

That was coach Mike Macdonald’s update on Darnold Monday morning.

“To my knowledge, he’s good,” Macdonald said told KIRO-AM radio.

“He didn’t make it worse or anything. But I’m sure he’s sore.”

Darnold felt discomfort in his oblique on his left side Thursday during practice, throwing to a receiver “against air,” with no defenders. He immediately walked off the field into the team’s training room at its headquarters in Renton for treatment. Veteran backup Drew Lock ran the starting offense for the rest of that final, full practice before the 49ers game. Darnold didn’t throw from feeling it Thursday until about an hour and 45 minutes before kickoff Saturday afternoon.

He played into the fourth quarter. Lock replaced him near the end of the Seahawks’ blowout win. When asked following the Seahawks’ 41-6 victory that advanced Seattle into the NFC championship game Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field what his level of pain was during Saturday night’s game, Darnold said: “I felt fine.”

Darnold said he and the team would need to continue managing the injury this week heading into him starting the NFC title game.

His coach said the same thing Monday morning.

“It’s something that we’re gonna have to navigate the rest of the week,” Macdonald said on KIRO.

It remains to be seen how much practice time Darnold misses and how much Lock runs the starting offense this week. “Navigating” the injury likely means Darnold won’t be on his normal throwing schedule Wednesday, Thursday and Friday leading into the Sunday title game.

Sam Darnold’s injury game

Saturday before the 49ers game, Lock and rookie third-stringer Jalen Milroe were Seattle’s quarterbacks on the field for early warmups in sweatsuits about an hour and 45 minutes prior to kickoff. Darnold wasn’t with them as he otherwise always is. He was inside, in the locker room, throwing passes in there to test his side.

He came out about 40 minutes before kickoff as usual with his teammates in full pads for final warmup drills. He softly threw passes then started the game, as he has all 18 games in his first Seahawks season.

Darnold completed 12 of 17 passes, 124 yards, with a dart of a touchdown throw through coverage to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. That put Seattle ahead 17-0 in the second quarter.

“Honestly, it surprised me. Not how hard he threw it because he was hurt. I was like, ‘Wow, how’s he going to fit it through this window,” Smith-Njigba said. “And he happened to do it, again. That was awesome.”

Darnold seemed to loosen up as the game went on. His first attempt in the game: A deep pass 20-plus yards down the seam he intended to throw to Smith-Njigba breaking free behind his defender for a possible touchdown. Darnold’s throw died softly, well short of the receiver and the 49ers defensive back.

That seemed to be on the quarterback’s mind later in that first offensive possession for Seattle. Darnold had Smith-Njigba breaking open deep early on a roll-out pass to the QB’s right. It would have been another 20-plus-yard throw. Instead, Darnold chose to throw an 8-yard pass to Cooper Kupp.

Seattle’s defense dominated San Francisco, and Darnold got the first postseason victory of his eight-year NFL career playing for five teams.

Asked if he was limited at all during the game because of the injury, Darnold said: “No, I felt really good. Felt really good.”