Darnold aiming for Sunday return after briefly fearing for football future

RENTON, Wash. -- After an injury that briefly had him fearing for his football future, and an "eye-opening" hospital stay, quarterback Sam Darnold is nearing his return to the Seattle Seahawks' starting lineup. It could happen as soon as Sunday, when the reigning Super Bowl champions play the Washington Commanders (0-2) in Landover, Maryland. "I'm really striving for that," Darnold said Thursday. "But ... I'm just taking it day by day. I also don't want to jinx anything." Darnold was limited Wednesday as he returned to practice after missing most of the first two games because of a glute injury. He didn't know he'd be back on the field this soon in any capacity when he went down on the fifth play of the season opener. It wasn't until a doctor showed him results from a CT scan after Darnold was transported to the hospital midgame that the quarterback could breathe a sigh of relief knowing his season wasn't over and his career shouldn't be impacted. "There was so many different things that were running through my mind," Darnold said, "and that was one of them." Darnold spent the night of the Seahawks' Sept. 9 opener at Harborview Medical Center, a trauma center near Lumen Field, in part because he needed to undergo more testing, but also because of how much discomfort he was in. "The perspective on life that I got while going into the hospital, seeing some of the people and what they're dealing with, that was eye-opening, Darnold said, "especially in the position that I was in, worried about the injury and how long I was going to be out. It was good to get that perspective, I guess." In Darnold's absence, backup Drew Lock threw for 187 yards, one touchdown and no turnovers against the New England Patriots. The Seahawks' defense intercepted Drake Maye three times as Seattle hung on for a 13-10 win. Darnold was able to watch the final eight minutes of the game on his phone from Harborview. "It's not fun," he said. "I'll be straight up with you guys. It's tough to get hurt, but to see the way that ... Drew came in and how well he played and really just protected the football, I was really happy to see that." Since stepping in for Darnold, Lock has completed nearly 73% of his attempts, with four touchdown passes and zero turnovers. His Total QBR of 88.8 in Seattle's 31-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals last week was the third-best mark of his career. Through two games, Lock's Total QBR of 85.8 is fourth best among all quarterbacks. "It's unbelievable, man," Darnold said of Lock's play. "None of us in this building are surprised at what happened. He's a baller. He went out there and played really well. Just very happy for him. It was cool to see his process throughout the week and how he attacked it and to go out there ... and perform the way he did, it was no surprise." Coach Mike Macdonald said after the Cardinals game that Darnold's timetable had "shifted quite drastically" for the better. Darnold said he has been getting better "every single day" since the injury. He dealt with "a little bit of soreness" in his return to practice Wednesday but overall "felt really good." "To get back out there with my teammates, that's the greatest joy," he said. "Getting that perspective and being able to go back out on the field and be able to play football with my teammates, being able to play football in general, being on the sideline against Arizona ... it was great to see Drew have success and our team have success, but when I was out there on the sideline, I missed playing a ton. So it's just good to get back out on the practice field this week and get out there." The plan is for Darnold's workload to increase throughout the week. Macdonald said Wednesday the team will likely decide by the end of the day Friday whether he'll start against Washington, but the coach said "it's on a good track right now." Darnold was asked what he needs to feel to know he'll be able to play Sunday. "I think just mentally having confidence, having confidence in my body, being able to go out there and if I need to take off, feeling good about sliding and just doing all the football things," he said. "Worrying about playing football. Not worrying about the hip at all. Just going out there, playing football, playing fast."