RENTON, Wash. -- Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold will miss the team's game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday due to a quad injury, coach Mike Macdonald announced Wednesday.
Darnold is week-to-week and will not be placed on injured reserve, per Macdonald. He said Darnold has a chance to play in Week 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Seahawks' plan is for backup Drew Lock to start against Arizona, but he's still dealing with an injury to his throwing elbow that caused him to be inactive the last two games. Macdonald acknowledged the possibility that Seattle may have to turn to QB3 Jalen Milroe depending on how Lock progresses.
"We'll be getting both guys ready to play," Macdonald said. "We've got full confidence in those guys, and we have a plan in place and we'll go execute it."
Seattle may be adding another quarterback this week, per Macdonald.
Darnold injured his quad on the final drive of the Seahawks' 34-17 loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday night, which dropped the reigning Super Bowl champions to 4-4. Macdonald said he also suffered a cracked rib on the second play of the game, when he was hit hard while throwing by blitzing cornerback Kyler Gordon.
Macdonald wasn't aware of the rib injury until after the game, he said. Darnold went 17 of 34 passing for 188 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against Chicago. He was sacked three times and took six official QB hits. His off-target percentage of 29.4% was his highest in the six games he's played since he returned in Week 3 from a glute injury.
"This guy, he's tough as nails," Macdonald said. "I just asked if I could share this, but he cracked his rib on the second play of the game. So he's playing the whole game without even making a thing of it and playing his tail off and competing. I think it's worth noting how tough this guy is. He'll be back sooner than later, I'm sure."
Macdonald said Darnold could likely play through the cracked rib if not for the quad injury. They're the latest setbacks in what's been a tumultuous season for the quarterback. He suffered a glute injury on the fifth play of the season opener, which caused him to miss the remainder of that game and the following week.
"I know it's a challenge, but I've got a lot of respect for how he goes through these things because he goes through it," Macdonald said. "There's no blink, there's no flinch. It's a very matter-of-fact, attacking mentality, which I think that's reflective of the rest of our team, which I appreciate."
Since returning in Week 3, Darnold has thrown nine interceptions in six games. He's completed just over 60% of his passes in that span, with 10 touchdown passes and a Total QBR of 50.8 that ranks 22nd.
Lock, meanwhile, did not commit a turnover while playing most of the first two games. The eighth-year veteran completed nearly 73% of his passes and posted a Total QBR of 82.5 that ranked sixth in that span. Three of his four touchdown passes came in a 31-7 win over Arizona in Week 2, which moved Seattle to 2-0.
Lock was listed as limited on all nine injury reports the Seahawks released from Weeks 6-8, starting on Oct. 11. He was questionable for the last two games before being ruled inactive, though he dressed both times as the emergency third quarterback. He was not seen throwing alongside Darnold and Milroe during warmups before either game.
"He's able to throw," Macdonald said of Lock. "How much, we're working through that right now. But that's the best way to put it ... He's going to throw the ball throughout the week, but we're just going to manage it. He's not going to take 8,000 throws."
Lock suffered the injury during a rainy practice, per Macdonald. He did not specify the date.
"It's an elbow injury," Macdonald said. "All the fancy names, I can't explain that to you, but he hasn't throw much."
The Seahawks drafted Milroe in the third round in 2025 with a plan to take advantage of his running ability in specialty packages while he developed as a passer. But after early fumbling issues, he hasn't seen the field during a regular-season game since Week 5 of last year.
Macdonald said Lock and Milroe will be "splitting reps for a certain amount of time" this week. They're holding a walk-through Wednesday.
"I think we've just got to take it day by day at this time," he said. "But Jalen will take some practice reps as well. Today's a slow day, so it's kind of hard to tell. We have a plan for Drew to get some live throws later, but I think it's just one of those things where we kind of have to work it day-in and day-out and figure out what's the best way to get him to Sunday."
The Seahawks' 17-point loss to Chicago was their most lopsided defeat since December of 2024. They played without outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu (ankle), wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (knee) and left tackle Charles Cross (ankle), then lost defensive tackle Leonard Williams (stinger) in the second half. Macdonald said all four have a chance to play against Arizona.