Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold has been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals due to a quad injury, head coach Mike Macdonald announced Wednesday. Darnold suffered the injury late in Seattle's Week 8 loss to the Chicago Bears.
Macdonald stated that Darnold is considered week-to-week and will not be placed on injured reserve. The quarterback could potentially return for Seattle's Week 10 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, prior to the team's Week 11 bye.
Drew Lock is set to start in Darnold's place. This will be Lock's second start of the season. He previously started in Week 1 against the New England Patriots before Darnold took over. Lock has been serving as the emergency quarterback behind Jalen Milroe for the past two weeks after recovering from his own right elbow injury.
Macdonald confirmed that Jalen Milroe will back up Lock and will also receive practice repetitions to prepare in case Lock's elbow issue resurfaces. In his earlier start against the Cardinals in Week 2, Lock threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-7 Seahawks victory.
"We have full confidence in those guys and will have a plan in place," Macdonald said regarding his quarterback situation. He also indicated that the team might consider bringing in an additional quarterback for roster depth before Sunday's game.
The Seahawks' loss to the Bears on Monday night dropped their record to 4-4 on the season, placing them in a tie for second place in the NFC West division with the Los Angeles Rams.