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Seahawks QB Sam Darnold Set to Return Against Commanders

4:12 AM ETConfirmed

Sports Desk

In Short: Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is expected to return for Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders after missing Week 1 and Week 2 with a glute injury.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is set to return for Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders after missing the first two weeks of the season due to a glute injury.

Darnold's injury occurred on Seattle's opening drive of a Week 1 victory over the New England Patriots, where he lasted just five plays before being ruled out.

Head coach Mike Macdonald expressed confidence in Darnold's recovery, noting that the quarterback's return was expected to happen sooner than initially feared.

Darnold's backup, Drew Lock, has performed admirably in his absence, completing 72.9 percent of his passes for 422 yards and four touchdowns without an interception.

Despite the positive performance of Lock, the Seahawks are eager to have Darnold back on the field. Coach Macdonald stated, 'I'm impressed with the speed at which Sam recovered from his injury.

The Seahawks' defense has also played a crucial role in their undefeated start, contributing to a 13-10 victory over the Patriots and a 31-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The Commanders, however, have struggled defensively, ranking 27th in the league by allowing 30.5 points per game.

While Darnold's status was uncertain earlier in the week, the Seahawks have now ruled him out for Week 2's game against the Cardinals.

The team will continue to monitor Darnold's progress in practice before finalizing his status for the Commanders game.

Fantasy football managers are advised to remain cautious and check Darnold's status before finalizing their Week 3 lineups.

What this adds

Background

What's confirmed

• Drew Lock took over and helped the Seahawks to a 13-10 victory, then started Sunday's 31-7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
• There was no timeline announced for Darnold's return, but it appeared he could be back soon.
• Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald expects Sam Darnold to return to practice this week, but the quarterback's status for this weekend's game against the Washington Commanders remains uncertain.
• As of Monday, the Seahawks hadn't determined how much work Darnold would get in practice ahead of the game at Washington.

What's still developing

• On Thursday, Darnold revealed that he feared his season might be over and his long-term career could be impacted immediately after suffering the injury (via Henderson).
• NFL insider Tom Pelissero previously reported the Seahawks were initially worried that Darnold fractured his hip socket, which would have been a major injury.
• Now, he'll only miss one week of action before returning to the defending Super Bowl champions.
• In fact, they are the first team ever to start 0-2, with both losses coming against teams that lost 14 or more games the previous season.
• Below, you can find our five best bets for Week 3 along with picks for every other game on the docket.
• Lock led the Seahawks on a seven-play scoring drive that cut New England’s lead to 10-3 late in the third quarter.
• According to Seahawks reporter Ethan McReynolds, the team may have dodged a big bullet with him.
• The Seattle Seahawks proved why they must be considered the team to beat in the NFC.
• Drew Lock did a solid job in the second half after some early jitters, but Darnold's situation is, for obvious reasons, the main storyline of the game.
• Given how well their defense performed in the opener, and considering that Lock is an experienced backup who could face one of the presumably worst teams in the league, the Seahawks may want to err on the side of caution and give their starter an additional week to get back to full strength.
• Lopez returned to practice on Friday as a limited participant.
• The Cardinals have Andrew Billings in the wings for nose tackle responsibilities if Lopez is not healthy enough to return, but Billings appeared on the injury report with a knee injury that had him limited.

Sources

• Arizonasportslink
• Bleacher Reportlink
• Fox Newslink
• Newsweeklink
• USA Todaylink
• Yardbarkerlink
• Azcardinalslink
• Sportslink
• CBS Sportslink
• Centraloregondailylink
• Thebigleadlink
• Profootballrumorslink
• WarpBeat — background on Seahawks Coach Hints at Darnold's Early Return link
• WarpBeat — background on Ravens WR Zay Flowers May Return for Week 3 link
• Locked On Seahawks — video link