Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock suffered an oblique injury during the team's Week 9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, leaving his availability for Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders in doubt, head coach Mike Macdonald confirmed. The injury forced Lock to the medical tent briefly, though he returned to finish the 17-3 win.
Lock was already managing elbow tendinitis and was only starting because Sam Darnold remains sidelined with a quad injury and cracked ribs. Darnold sustained the quad issue late in Seattle's Week 8 loss to the Chicago Bears and has been playing through the rib injury. Lock, making his second start of the season in place of Darnold, completed 19 of 28 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown but was clearly not at full strength.
If neither Lock nor Darnold can play in Week 10, the Seahawks (5-4) would turn to third-string quarterback Jalen Milroe. The team also has Adrian Martinez on the practice squad as an additional option. Seattle has little margin for error; entering the weekend they sit as the No. 8 seed in the NFC, one spot outside the playoff picture.
Who Is Jalen Milroe?
Milroe, 23, was selected by Seattle in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Alabama. As a redshirt sophomore in 2023, he threw for 2,834 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 531 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns, finishing sixth in Heisman Trophy voting. His 2024 season saw regression as a passer with 11 interceptions, though he still rushed for 726 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Should Milroe be pressed into action, the Seahawks' offense would likely become more run-heavy. He has taken three career NFL snaps, all designed runs totaling four yards. Seattle's ground game showed promise in Week 9 with 120 rushing yards, and the Raiders have struggled to defend the run this season.
