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Brady Henderson
Renton, Wash.– Sam Darnold And his injured oblique bodes well for the NFC Championship Game.
Seattle Seahawks The Pro Bowl quarterback does not have a game designation, although he was limited in practice all three days this week as part of the team’s plan to prepare him to play on Sunday. Los Angeles Rams In the lumen field.
“I feel really good,” Darnold said Friday. “Feeling really good this whole week. I think the process is going exactly where it should be, so I’m feeling really good heading into Sunday.”
Darnold suffered a left hamstring injury during practice last Thursday. He played it up in the divisional round two days later, completing 12 of 17 attempts for 124 yards and a touchdown before giving way. drew lock There were nine minutes left in Seattle’s 41–6 win. san francisco 49ers.
Coach Mike McDonald said Wednesday that Darnold’s throwing will be reduced this week because he is dealing with an injury. McDonald said Friday that everything has gone according to plan with Darnold this week and that he’s getting better every day.
“The guys in the training room work really well with everybody, including myself,” Darnold said. “We’re just taking it day by day and making sure I do all the necessary things to be ready for Sunday.”
The top-seeded Seahawks will have a starting left tackle. charles cross Protecting Darnold’s blindside on Sunday after missing the first two practices of the week due to a foot injury that took him out of the fourth quarter against the 49ers. Cross was a full participant on Friday and does not have a game designation for Sunday.
Seattle’s backup left tackle, josh jonesListed as questionable due to knee and ankle injuries. He also missed the first two days of practice before full participation on Friday. No. 3 left tackle Amari Kite (Knee) is doubtful.
full back Robbie Ouzts (Neck) is doubtful. linebacker Chaz Surratt (Ankle), who remains on injured reserve, is out.
Seahawks running back Friday Zach Charbonnet On IR, he suffered a season-ending knee injury against the 49ers. Seattle also hired a rookie guard. Bryce Cabildue On IR to make room for rookie tight end Eliza Arroyo and running back George HolaniBoth of whom were active from IR.
McDonald declined to say which running back will play the No. 2 running back role. Kenneth Walker III In the absence of carbonate. Seahawks have ex-Rams Cam Acres And Velus Jones Jr.. On their practice squad.
“George is ready,” Darnold said of Holani. “He’s been preparing for this moment all season. He stepped up in a big way for us early on, and even in the preseason he had a lot of good games. So we have a lot of confidence in George, not only because of his ability to go out and make plays, but how smart he is and how he can handle everything in the system.”
Darnold earned the first playoff win of his eight-year NFL career when Seattle defeated the 49ers.
Neither Darnold nor the Seahawks doubted he would start that game, but there was some uncertainty about how he would perform while playing through his first oblique injury. He opted not to take the field for the first time until about 45 minutes before kickoff, instead throwing in the locker room as part of an altered warmup routine. Darnold said his pregame routine should be similar on Sunday.
The Seahawks and Rams split their season series, with Los Angeles winning 21–19 at SoFi Stadium in November, before Seattle won 38–37 in overtime at Lumen Field in Week 16. The Seahawks are favored by 2.5 points in Round 3 against their NFC West rivals.
Since 2005, the Seahawks are 11–1 in home playoff games. The Rams’ only loss in that span came during the 2020 COVID-19 season, when Lumen Field was empty. Until Saturday, Seattle had not played a home playoff game with fans in the stands since 2017.
“It’s going to be unbelievable,” Darnold said of Sunday’s atmosphere. “I don’t know how you topped last week, but I’m sure 12th. They always bring it for us, so we’re excited for them.”
