Sam Darnold is Out, But Drew Lock's Oblique is Ready to Save the Seahawks

Sam Darnold is officially out against the Las Vegas Raiders, meaning the Seattle Seahawks are handing the keys back to Drew Lock and his newly cleared oblique.

The NFL injury report is basically a weekly medical drama, and right now the Seattle quarterback room is the season finale. We are trading a lingering hip issue for a bruised core muscle, which sounds less like a professional football roster and more like the waiting room at a physical therapy clinic.

"Mike Macdonald told Brock Huard and Mike Salk that tests on Drew Lock's oblique injury were 'good'."

Head coach Mike Macdonald went on Seattle Sports 710 ESPN with Brock Huard and Mike Salk to confirm Darnold is sitting this one out. The good news for Seattle is that Lock’s oblique tests came back clean, clearing him to take the snaps against Las Vegas.

We have seen this exact movie before. When Darnold went down with a hip injury against the New England Patriots earlier this year, Lock stepped in and casually went 16-of-22 for 187 yards and a touchdown to secure the win. He also just managed a 191-yard, one-touchdown performance in a recent 17-3 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The Raiders are coming off a brutal 38-17 beatdown by the San Francisco 49ers (a game that was somehow less competitive than the score implies), so they are exactly the kind of defense you want to see when your backup quarterback is playing through core pain. Anyone looking at the betting lines for this game has to factor in that Lock is competent enough to keep the offense moving, even if he isn't throwing 50-yard bombs off his back foot.

Lock just needs to manage the game and let the defense do the heavy lifting against a reeling Vegas squad. If he survives the Raiders without aggravating that oblique, Seattle can keep their playoff trajectory intact while Darnold gets a much-needed week on the couch.