The Seattle Seahawks were dealt some very concerning news on Thursday afternoon, as quarterback Sam Darnold, who was named to the Pro Bowl and had a great year in Seattle, popped up on the injury report.
As Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team shared, Darnold has an oblique injury and is now questionable for the Seahawks divisional round game against the San Francisco 49ers. Coming out of a bye week, this is a very concerning situation.
Amid concern that Darnold cannot go, knowing who the backup is suddenly becomes very important. Sitting on the bench, and ready to go if needed, is veteran backup quarterback Drew Lock.
Drew Lock is ready to go if Sam Darnold is out
The Seahawks quarterback depth chart has Darnold as the starter, Lock as the backup, and Jalen Milroe as the third-string quarterback.
While Milroe is the rookie and could be a fun long-term option to develop, he's not NFL-ready just yet. Lock is the backup, and has been all year long.
He's made five appearances this season, throwing just three passes, completing two for 15 yards. In the five years before this, between the Seahawks, Denver Broncos, and New York Giants, Lock has been a shaky starter.
Lock's career quarterback rating is a 78.8, which is a good bit behind Darnold's 99.1 from this season. Going from Darnold to Lock would be a massive downgrade for the Seahawks.
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This injury is concerning enough on its own, but with a very shaky backup in Lock, who's never made a playoff appearance, and has a 34-28 touchdown to interception ratio in his career, it's far from ideal.
While teams have won in the playoffs with backup quarterbacks before, most infamously the Philadelphia Eagles with Nick Foles, this situation is a lot more dire for the Seahawks.
If Darnold is out, which is a real possibility amid this oblique injury late in the week, Lock will be the starter, and the defense will be relied upon even more.
Greg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune shared that Klint Kubiak revealed that Lock got some reps with the first-team offense, confirming he'd be the starter if Darnold can't go. This is a concerning situation, and one to monitor as game day approaches.
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