- - Seahawks' Sam Darnold 'questionable' with oblique injury but expects to play in divisional round vs. 49ers

Andy Backstrom January 16, 2026 at 12:41 AM

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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was added to the injury report with an oblique issue that makes him "questionable" for Saturday’s divisional-round playoff game versus the San Francisco 49ers.

But Darnold expects to play in the highly anticipated rematch between NFC West rivals. He told reporters he felt something in his oblique early in practice Thursday when throwing routes.

"Just didn't want to push it. It wasn't the day to push it," Darnold said, per Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune. "So that was it. Just came inside, got some rehab. I feel like I'll be ready to go for Saturday."

Sam Darnold explains how he injured his oblique on his left side today in #Seahawks practice and then shut it down. I asked him what % of him thinks he won’t play Saturday in playoffs vs 49ers.He says almost zero %. ⁦@thenewstribune⁩ pic.twitter.com/Vu8dEhOKcS

— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) January 15, 2026

Darnold said he never had oblique issues before. He put a positive spin on the midweek hurdle that he's eager to clear ahead of the biggest game of his career.

"It's fun. We'll attack it the next couple days and be ready to go for Saturday," Darnold said.

Darnold, a righty, explained he experienced the discomfort on his left side on a throw.

He was asked what percent of him thinks he might not play against the 49ers this weekend at Seattle's Lumen Field.

"Very low percentage," he said. "Probably closer to zero."

Darnold played all 17 games in the regular season, his first with the Seahawks after signing a three-year deal reportedly worth $100.5 million.

He picked up where he left off in Minnesota last season when he led the Vikings to a 14-3 record as a replacement for the injured J.J. McCarthy.

This time around, he became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to guide two different teams to 14-win seasons, joining Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Jared Goff.

Despite a league-high 20 turnovers, Darnold made the Pro Bowl. With a win over San Francisco in the regular-season finale, Seattle earned the division title and the NFC's No. 1 seed, which came with a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Darnold is now slated to face the resilient 49ers again. He's hoping for playoff redemption after throwing a pick, losing a fumble and being sacked nine times during the Vikings' 27-9 wild-card loss to the Los Angeles Rams last season.

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Source: “AOL Sports”