The Seattle Seahawks‘ Super Bowl defense suffered a catastrophic start after quarterback Sam Darnold was hurt just minutes into their season opener.
The Seahawks kicked off the 2026 campaign with a Super Bowl rematch against the New England Patriots on Wednesday night.
But during Seattle’s first offensive drive at Lumen Field, Darnold was sacked by Dre’Mont Jones while trying to scramble away from pressure.
The quarterback limped over to the sideline and then, after a visit to the medical tent, Darnold was led toward the locker room with a hip issue.
At the time of writing, he is questionable to return, with Drew Lock brought in under center.
Darnold was instrumental as Mike Macdonald’s team reached Super Bowl LX, where the Seahawks sealed the Lombardi Trophy with a dominant, 29-13 win over the Patriots.
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold was hurt just minutes into their season opener
After a visit to the medical tent, Darnold was led toward the locker room with a hip issue
Wednesday’s season opener began with a celebration of the franchise’s second Super Bowl win, with Seattle raising the championship banner ahead of kickoff.
Five plays later, however, the atmosphere around Lumen Field had changed. Darnold was sacked from behind by Jones before hobbling toward the bench.
His injury posed a huge headache for Macdonald and Seattle’s new offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, who was calling his first Seahawks game on Wednesday night.
Darnold was replaced under center by Lock, 29, who re-joined the Seahawks in 2025 after spells with New York Giants and Denver Broncos. Lock started 28 games across his first six NFL seasons.
