Sam Darnold of the Seattle Seahawks reacts after throwing a fourth-quarter touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field on Dec. 18, 2025, in Seattle. LATEST Jan. 17, 4:30 p.m. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold finally took the field at 4:13 p.m. to warm up for Saturday’s playoff showdown with the San Francisco 49ers. Darnold is battling an oblique injury and reportedly didn’t throw a pass on either Thursday or Friday before the game, but is now warming up and is expected to start for Seattle. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Jan. 17, 3:35 p.m. Sam Darnold still hasn’t taken the field to warm up for Saturday’s playoff matchup with the San Francisco 49ers, but the quarterback is on the active roster for the divisional round matchup. The Seahawks released their inactives list at 3:30 p.m. and designated Jalen Milroe as their emergency third quarterback for the game. Darnold and Drew Lock are Seattle’s two active quarterbacks for Saturday. Jan. 17, 3:20 p.m. While the Seahawks have mostly downplayed Sam Darnold’s first-ever oblique injury, there appears to be growing concern as kickoff draws near for the NFC West showdown in the playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers. Darnold reportedly didn’t throw a single pass in Seattle’s last two practices this week, which led to pretty big concerns from ESPN analyst (and former 49ers QB) Alex Smith. And then around 3 p.m. on Saturday, Darnold did not take the field with Seattle’s other two quarterbacks, Drew Lock and Jalen Milroe, who started warming up about two hours before kickoff. Advertisement Article continues below this ad The absence was noted by pretty much every beat reporter covering the game. ESPN 49ers reporter Nick Wagoner offered a rather interesting caveat on X: “If Darnold needs something to get through the game, it’s possible he wouldn’t do as strenuous a warmup as normal so the effects don’t wear off as quickly.” The 49ers and Seahawks will both post inactive lists at least 90 minutes before kickoff, around 3:30 p.m. As the seconds tick down to that moment, Darnold’s status has become an open question. Jan. 17, 8:15 a.m. Everyone in Seattle is downplaying the first-ever oblique injury for Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold ahead of Saturday’s NFC Divisional Playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers. “They don’t think this is a severe oblique injury,” Adam Schefter reported Saturday morning on “ESPN Postseason NFL Countdown.” Advertisement Article continues below this ad ESPN reporter Lindsey Thiry added a team source told her, “Darnold’s so tough, there’s no way he wouldn’t go, he’s the kind of guy that’s like ‘F it, let’s go.’” According to Thiry, “Both Sam Darnold and Mike Macdonald expressed nothing but confidence.” A 9 a.m. report from NFL Network’s Steve Wyche echoed a similar sentiment: “Since we’ve been on air, I have spoken to a Seattle Seahawks official regarding Sam Darnold’s oblique injury and his availability today. They said, first off, when Darnold sustained this injury he said it was something he had never felt before so they were very cautious, they basically shut him down. But they said not only are they optimistic, but that Darnold himself feels super confident that he will be able to get out and play. Now they’re going to work him off before kickoff, but again, all signs are indicating that Sam Darnold will be good to go for the Seahawks.” But former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, now a studio analyst for ESPN, said Saturday morning he’s flying all the red flags. Advertisement Article continues below this ad “Just the fact he hasn’t thrown a football over 48 hours before a playoff game — listen, this guy’s never won a playoff game. To go to that length, it’s not insignificant, this is not nothing. The fact he hurt it throwing,” Smith said on “ESPN Postseason NFL Countdown.” “It is a core injury, your core is so heavily involved in throwing the football, throwing is a rotational movement … as you’re turning, your oblique is heavily involved,” Smith added. “I think it’s going to be interesting to find out pregame, into game to find out how this thing holds up.” Darnold, who threw for over 4,000 yards this year and finished the regular season with a 99.1 QB Rating, is listed as questionable for Saturday’s game, and said he experienced the discomfort on his left side on a throw during practice. Darnold is a righty. Saturday will mark Darnold’s first playoff appearance since a 27-9 home embarrassment for the 14-3 Vikings against the Los Angeles Rams. Darnold finished that game 25-of-40 passing for 245 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked nine times, including a strip sack that led to a 57-yard defensive touchdown. Advertisement Article continues below this ad Despite the playoff collapse, Darnold turned in a Pro-Bowl season with the Vikings, which he parlayed into a three-year, $100.5 million deal with Seattle, and a reunion with Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. The pair previously worked together in San Francisco in 2023, when Darnold served as Brock Purdy’s backup for a team that reached the Super Bowl. Kubiak was the 49ers’ passing game coordinator that season. Darnold and his questionable oblique will look to exorcise some playoff demons Saturday night with his new team. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. on Fox at Lumen Field in Seattle. This story has been updated with Steve Wyche’s NFL Network report. 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