Sam Darnold injury update: Seahawks monitor QB's health before the Rams matchup with Super Bowl berth on the line

As the Seahawks get ready for the NFC Championship game, the conversation in Seattle keeps coming back to one thing. Is Sam Darnold healthy enough to lead them through it? With a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, fans are watching every practice rep and injury update closely, knowing how much this game depends on their quarterback being able to move, throw, and absorb pressure. Darnold has been dealing with an oblique strain he suffered late last week, just days before the divisional round win over the 49ers. He played through it, showed toughness, and helped Seattle advance. Now, with the Rams waiting, the injury has not gone away, even if the confidence around the team has grown.Thursday’s practice offered cautious encouragement. Darnold was listed as a limited participant, but he was able to throw and test his injured side during controlled drills. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak came away optimistic after watching his quarterback work. “It shows up when he goes out there, and the reps that he gets, he looks like Sam,” Kubiak said, as per The News Tribune. “He looks healthy to me.”The session was not about pushing limits. Darnold stayed mostly stationary, focusing on short throws while turning his torso rather than moving freely. It was a careful approach designed to protect the injury while keeping his timing sharp.What stands out to the Seahawks is not just how Darnold looks now, but how he responded last week. Against San Francisco, he finished 12 of 17 for 124 yards and a touchdown despite playing through pain. That performance reinforced what the coaching staff believes about him. “It just reveals his grit and his toughness,” Kubiak said. “That’s nothing that we hadn’t already known. He’s a real leader to be able to fight through that pain and play a good football game. And he’s going to keep fighting through it — just like a lot of his teammates. Just like both rosters. That’s part of the league, and however many games that we are into right now, nobody’s fresh. No player. No coach. And Sam’s no different.”Seattle will need that mindset on Sunday. The Rams defense has had success against Darnold in recent seasons, creating turnovers and applying constant pressure. That history has clearly fueled confidence on the Los Angeles side. “Usually, you hope a guy doesn’t make the same mistake twice,” Rams safety Kamren Kinchens said of Darnold, via the Los Angeles Times. “In my case, I’m hoping he makes the same mistake twice, because that’s more picks for me.”Kinchens also explained why facing Seattle brings opportunity. “Because they like to test the secondary,” he said. “They have good receivers, and Sam Darnold wants to throw the ball down the field and push it down the field. That’s a lot of opportunities, and I love when I get to show people my receiver skills.”For the Seahawks, everything comes down to Darnold being ready. If he is, Seattle has a real shot. If not, the margin for error in the biggest game of the season is razor thin.