While Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has largely downplayed his oblique injury, the team is making sure that backup QB Drew Lock is well prepped to replace him. Darnold was surprisingly added to the injury report as questionable on Thursday, January 15, only a few days before the Seahawks face off against the 49ers in Saturday’s divisional round playoff game. The 28-year-old quarterback is confident that he will play in the upcoming match, but Lock could be more of a factor.
Seattle Seahawks coach confirms prep for backup QB Drew Lock
Klint Kubiak, the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator, admitted that Drew Lock was getting “first team reps” in an interview late on Thursday.
The coach initially suggested that this was not surprising. “No, he’s gotten, you split them throughout the year,” Kubiak said.
But when asked whether Lock had gotten reps this week in the leadup to Saturday’s match, he said, “Yes, mostly in the walkthroughs.”
The reporter asked Kubiak to give an update on the oblique injury that Darnold sustained, but he passed the question to head coach Mike Macdonald to answer at a later time.
Darnold said that he sustained the injury during practice on Thursday and left early because he “didn’t want to push it,” per ESPN. “So that was it. Just came inside, got some rehab, and I feel like I’ll be ready to go for Saturday.”
The quarterback felt confident that he would see some action in Saturday’s game. Darnold said there was a “very low percentage” that he would be out of the match, though he shared that he has never faced an oblique injury before. “We’ll attack it the next couple days and be ready to go for Saturday.”
Suffice it to say, if Darnold believes that he might aggravate his injury during the game against the Seahawks, Lock will be ready to step in as a replacement.
Meanwhile, it’s looking more likely that Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins, who did not practice on Thursday, will miss the game against the Patriots after he suffered a concussion in Monday’s match against the Steelers.
