Seahawks rule out Sam Darnold for Week 2, don't plan to put QB on IR; Drew Lock to start vs. Cards

Sam Darnold won't take the field in Week 2, but the outlook is promising.

Darnold (glute) is not expected to land on injured reserve, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald told reporters Wednesday.

"I don't anticipate putting him on IR or anything like that," Macdonald said, "but we'll just kind of re-evaluate every day and re-evaluate next week and we'll go from there, but he won't play this week."

Drew Lock will start in place of Darnold on Sunday in Arizona and Jalen Milroe will serve as the backup, per Macdonald.

Darnold suffered what the Seahawks called a "very unique soft-tissue injury" to his glute just five snaps into Seattle's season-opening win over New England when he was sacked on third down, limping off the field in obvious discomfort. He did not return, forcing Lock into the game for what was eventually a comeback victory to start the campaign.

Initially, there were legitimate fears Darnold had injured his hip, but Seattle clarified the QB's hip joint was not affected while adding there wasn't yet a firm timeline on Darnold's return. Wednesday's update suggests Darnold will be back within a month and allows the Seahawks to take a week-by-week approach.

In the meantime, Lock will fill the starting job and aim to build on the strong finish he and the Seahawks' offense produced in Week 1.