Sam Darnold injury update: Recovery timeline, MRI results, return date

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold is awaiting MRI results Thursday, September 10, after suffering a right hip injury in the team’s 13-10 season-opening win over the New England Patriots.

What happened to Sam Darnold?

Darnold was sacked by Patriots defensive end Dre’Mont Jones on third down to end Seattle’s opening drive Wednesday night, September 9. He limped off the field, spent time in the blue medical tent, and was later taken to Harborview Medical Center for further examination. He was ruled out before halftime.

MRI results

Initial X-rays and a CT scan ruled out a fracture, which coach Mike Macdonald called “great.” However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the CT scan was “Encouraging but inconclusive.”

Darnold was set to undergo an MRI on Thursday to assess the full extent of the injury.

Macdonald said: “At this point we were able to rule out a fracture. There are some more tests to be done... right now, fracture is out, which is great news.”

Recovery timeline

There are no official dates provided. Some hip injuries are small enough to take several days off for recovery, while others are serious enough to make players unavailable for weeks, with labrum tears or muscle tears. It’s a good thing that a fracture hasn’t been diagnosed, but the MRI will tell us about the presence of soft tissue injuries.

Date of Return

It’s still unclear if Darnold will be able to play in Week 2 when the Seahawks face the Arizona Cardinals on September 20. There’s some advantage for the Seahawks, since their season has started early on a Wednesday, and that gives Darnold more time to recover. If not, Drew Lock will play, and he threw for 187 yards and a touchdown in his last appearance.

Macdonald didn’t want to give any guesses: “I really don’t know. I don’t know what the extent is.”