ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals are set to host the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2 action at State Farm Stadium, though the NFC West matchup just had a massive wrench tossed into the works. In the regular season opener, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold went down early in the first quarter and quickly was ruled out for the rest of the game with a hip injury. Drew Lock filled in for the defending Super Bowl champions and guided the Seahawks to a 13-10 win. Darnold, with initial fears of a long-term injury, had an MRI done this morning with some positive news in terms of his outlook for the season. ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said, "team doctors still are reviewing to determine how much time he will miss. It is expected to be some, but for now the team believes it, as one source described, 'dodged a bullet.'"And if you're wondering — yes — Darnold is slated to miss their battle against the Cardinals in Week 2. Sam Darnold is expected to miss next week's game, but he should be back sooner, rather than later, sources say. Could be just a few weeks.With 17 days from Wed. until their Week 3 game against the #Commanders, Darnold gets a schedule break, as well. https://t.co/UjGk85IYPA— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 10, 2026And that completely changes the dynamic, even if the Cardinals have yet to play their own regular season snaps.How Sam Darnold Injury Changes Cardinals vs SeahawksDarnold was key in getting Seattle a Super Bowl ring last season, running the offense to near perfection and keeping things on schedule with weapons around him. That story wasn't supposed to be any different in 2026 with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp and Jadarian Price headlining the weapons Seattle has. Lock stepped in admirably, completing 16-of-22 passes for 187 yards and one touchdown against the Patriots. However, there's a clear drop-off in terms of talent and experience between the two quarterbacks. Darnold's capable of making clutch throws across the field — Cardinals fans remember that Thursday night game last year where Darnold put Seattle in field goal range to avoid an upset. Not to say Lock isn't capable with a strong rushing attack and sound defense behind him, though the Seahawks are now lacking their leader with their offensive ceiling now feeling limited. That's good news for the Cardinals, who now have just a tad of game film on Lock after last night and can use that to build a gameplan from. Of course, results are pending from Arizona's own regular season opener when they travel to Los Angeles to face the Chargers on Sunday. However, a seemingly impossible task of beating Seattle in Week 2 just got a tad less daunting, if Darnold misses action at State Farm Stadium as expected. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow