Mike Macdonald isn’t ready to turn Seattle’s quarterback situation into a competition story.
After a Monday report suggested the Seahawks could ride Drew Lock again in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders even if Sam Darnold is cleared, Macdonald pushed the message in a different direction. The Seahawks head coach made it clear that health will drive the decision.
"If Sam can play, he's going to play," Macdonald said while speaking with reporters, per Brady Henderson of ESPN.
Darnold has been out since he suffered a glute injury on Seattle’s opening possession of the Week 1 win over the New England Patriots on Sept. 9.
The Seahawks described it as a "very unique soft-tissue" issue. Lock finished that game in relief and went 16-of-22 for 187 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers in the 13-10 victory.
Lock followed that up with another strong outing on Sunday at the Arizona Cardinals. Starting in place of Darnold, he completed 19 of 26 passes for 235 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in Seattle’s 31-7 win. That performance naturally fueled the idea that Seattle might stick with him, especially with Washington now dealing with its own quarterback injury after Jayden Daniels suffered a dislocated left elbow in Week 2.
Macdonald, though, framed the situation around Darnold’s recovery rather than Lock’s recent surge.
Earlier Monday, he said he did not know whether Darnold would be able to practice on Wednesday. Later, he gave a fuller update on the quarterback’s status and the team’s approach.
"Right now, the plan is for him to be out there in some capacity, and we'll go from there," Macdonald said about Darnold. "How much, we'll see from here to Wednesday on what that number is. But right now, that's the goal."
As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Seattle as a seven-point road favorite over Washington. If Lock starts again in Week 3, Darnold would then be aiming for a return in Seattle’s Week 4 home game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Oct. 4.
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Commanders Fans Want Dan Quinn Gone But Washington Has A Bigger Problem
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Daniels dislocated his elbow for the second time in two seasons on a critical call that will hang over Quinn as the scrutiny intensifies. He deserves plenty of criticism for how the situation unfolded, but the bigger issue is the one the Commanders have been wrestling with all along: a thin, inexperienced coaching staff and little reason to believe a midseason change would fix much of anything. [Read more 🡒]