The Seahawks are getting their quarterback back just as the Washington Commanders have lost theirs.
That is the story heading into the Week 3 meeting between the teams Sunday in Landover, Md. It’s part of a bigger overall storyline for the NFL season that has seen five teams suffer quarterback injuries over the first two weeks. Beyond creating understandable angst for fans of those quarterbacks and their teams, it has brought out the usual complaints about the “injury epidemic” in the NFL.
One popular podcaster’s tweet was picked up everywhere this week:
News flash for Middlekauff and anyone else who thinks this is a new development: Injuries have been part of football since the founding of the sport. It’s just a dangerous game, and quarterbacks are not immune.
Sure, some teams and positions seem to get snakebit more than others at various times. The 49ers have lost most of their defensive linemen early this season, with Nick Bosa the latest. The Seahawks have had a ton of injuries at safety already, with Julian Love now out.
But the quarterbacks always draw the biggest attention, so people are focused on Seattle losing Sam Darnold on the fifth play of the season, Minnesota losing Kyler Murray to a concussion in Week 1, the New York Giants losing Jaxson Dart (knee) in Week 2, Washington losing Jayden Daniels (elbow) and Chicago losing Caleb Williams (hamstring).
But only Dart is out for the season. The rest will be back – Darnold and Murray this week.
This is not much different than 2021, when Tua Tagovailoa, Carson Wentz, Andy Dalton and Tyrod Taylor all were injured in Week 2. Or 2019, when Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Nick Foles and Darnold (then with the Jets) all were sidelined by Week 3.
People like to point to any number of reasons for injuries: QBs don’t play in the preseason, practices are lighter throughout the year, the season is longer, offensive lines are not as well trained, young quarterbacks are less prepared and more prone to put themselves at risk, defenders are bigger and faster than ever.
Dart’s injury, where his knee bent awkwardly when he was violently sandwiched midair between two defenders, was a product of several of those factors. Murray, known for his running style, was hit while sliding during a scramble.
Darnold seemed to be a victim of the lack of preseason reps for Seattle’s starting offense; his line did not protect him and he landed oddly when he was sacked by Dre Jones. Williams simply pulled up lame on a bootleg. Daniels made the mistake of using an already weak left arm to brace a fall, leading to another dislocation of the elbow.
They were all very different injuries, most of them pretty fluky. It’s just the way the sport goes sometimes.
The NFL certainly has tried its best to protect quarterbacks, creating rules so tilted that defenders sometimes get punished for not being able to change the laws of physics mid-play. Fans hate those cheap penalties as much as they hate QB injuries. But, hey, you cannot have it both ways.
And you cannot prevent injuries in football. They are part of the game. You just have to suffer through them.
Play it again, Sam
On that note, it is great that Darnold and the Seahawks did not have to suffer long. He missed just one game beyond the opener.
Darnold had a stellar game against the Commanders in November 2025, throwing for 330 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-14 win.
Washington’s defense is no better, so – even though this is an East Coast road game – it seems like a pretty good time for Darnold to return. If the Hawks jump to a 31-7 lead at halftime, like last time, he can sit the rest of the game.
That said, we expect to see a little rust in his return. After all, he has played just five snaps of game action since the Super Bowl.
It will help that the running backs are all available. Jadarian Price (chest) is “ready to go,” Mike Macdonald said.
Anthony Bradford’s IR-qualifying knee injury is unfortunate, but Christian Haynes and Beau Stephens held up against Arizona and now get an extended chance to show what they can do. With Bradford a free agent after this season, this will give the Hawks a good idea of how to handle right guard in 2027.
Love’s lost — and we all hate it
The Seahawks are getting Darnold back from his glute injury, but they have lost Love and will be adding yet another backup safety to the lineup – A.J. Finley starting alongside Rodney Thomas II.
Love was off to an incredible start, with two interceptions in two games. But now he is out indefinitely with a calf injury apparently suffered in practice. He missed nine games last season, so hopefully this does not stretch that long. As Macdonald said, it’s a real bummer to lose Love.
As for Finley, Macdonald said, “He’s on it. He’s sharp as a whip, great communication, ball skills, all those things. So I’m excited for him to have the opportunity.”
Thomas, meanwhile, was added to the roster as Bradford hit IR. Thomas leads the defense in play time at 99.2%.
