Sam Darnold

It’s time for the NFL Divisional Round of the playoffs. It also means the latest in injury news to report before the teams release before gametime.

• Today, the No. 6 seed Buffalo Bills head to Mile High Stadium to face the top-seeded Denver Broncos. Josh Allen has many bumps and bruises ailing him, but he will be “full go” for the matchup, absent receivers Gabe Davis and Tyrell Shavers, who landed on the injured reserve last week, ending their season for an already-depleted wide receiver corps.
• Good news in that department came in the form of Curtis Samuel being activated from the list. He is active for the game and will jump right in as a weapon for Allen.
• Tight end Dalton Kincaid was limited all week (knee, calf) but has been playing through the injury of late. He will do so again on Saturday.
• Placekicker Matt Prater is good to go; it appears his quad injury is completely behind him.
• Running Back Ty Johnson (ankle) was only able to practice once this week, and on a limited basis. Expected to be the Bills’ No. 2 RB over Ray Davis. Johnson is officially out.
• The Denver Broncos have no notable injuries on the offensive side after a week of rest.

• The No. 6-seeded San Francisco 49ers will have to take on their rivals in Seattle without tight end George Kittle against the Seahawks.
• Wide receiver Jacob Cowing (IR) will not be activated before the game.
• Wideout Ricky Pearsall (PCL) is questionable and will be a game-time decision. Pearsall himself admitted a lack of explosiveness thanks to the injury but hopes to be on the field. Kyle Shanahan relayed that if he can play, there will be no snap count restrictions whatsoever.
• Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, already battling a quad injury, aggravated the injury in practice and was forced to cut the session short. Darnold maintains that he is “fine” and is “looking forward to being out there.” Seattle’s backup quarterback is Drew Lock.
• Wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Jaxon Smith-Njigba missed practice on consecutive days this week, but neither absence was injury-related.

6 Buffalo Bills (12-5) at 1 Denver Broncos (14-3) – 4:30 PM ET

6 San Francisco 49ers (12-5) at 1 Seattle Seahawks (14-3) – 8:00 PM ET – Update coming soon

Author: Samwise (@BuyAndSellYou)

The Seattle Seahawks relied on their defense and the leg of their kicker in their 26-0 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Sam Darnold threw for just 128 yards and zero scores.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught only two passes for 23 yards, while the running game was solid if unspectacular. Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet each rushed for over 50 yards and Charbonnet punched in a score.

This was just a blip on the radar for a Seattle offense that has performed well all season, JSN is still a locked in wide receiver one, Walker and Charbonnet are going to cut into each others work but are still solid running back options.

Author: David Leonard Jr. (@RealDelcoDave)

What an absolute slugfest fans were treated to from the Seahawks and Buccaneers. Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold aired it out early and often, racking up over 700 yards, six touchdowns, and only one interception thrown by Darnold, which proved costly. With 58 seconds left in the game, Darnold threw a pass that deflected off Logan Hall’s helmet and into the hands of Lavonte David. The Buccaneers would run out the clock and kick the winning field goal with no time remaining to win 38-35.

The two wide receivers out of Ohio State came to play on Sunday and capitalized on the excellent quarterback play. The Buccaneers’ star rookie, Emeka Egbuka, finished the game with seven receptions, 163 yards and a touchdown, gaining more praise from Mayfield. “He’s well-rounded, and not just in football but in life. I think he’s grounded, and I think he’s genuine in everything he does. He’s intentional, and you just don’t see that often.” Mayfield said. Jaxon Smith-Njigba continues to be the wheel that turns the Seahawks’ offense. He ended the day with eight receptions, 132 yards and a touchdown. He is one of the most productive wide receivers in the NFL. Through five games, he has 34 catches, 535 yards and two touchdowns. He is a set-it-and-forget-it fantasy asset.

Author: Dane Madoche(@FF_DaMaddog)

The Seahawks not only assured themselves of their future at signal-caller, but also left room to call an audible if their free agent signing doesn’t work out. Seattle selected Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe at No. 92 overall, making him the fourth quarterback off the board. He’ll come into the NFL as the presumed backup to Sam Darnold, who signed a three-year, $100.5 million contract during the offseason.

Milroe had been talked up as highly as a first-round pick, with most analysts calling him at worst a second-round selection. Those sentiments gained steam in recent days as “several” coaches allegedly said, “Jalen Milroe is the greatest runner of the football we’ve ever evaluated at the position.” Milroe ran for 1,577 yards in 38 games and a jaw-dropping 33 touchdowns on the ground.

Besides his ability to move the ball with his legs, Seattle also valued quarterback Milroe as a passer and leader. In three seasons, he completed 423 passes (64.6%) for just under 6,000 yards. He finished sixth in Heisman Trophy voting after his junior season of 2023. All told, Milroe accounted for 96 total touchdowns in three seasons with just 20 picks, nearly a 5:1 ratio.

Author: Sam Schneider (@BuyAndSellYou)

The answer to who will be the starting quarterback in Minnesota gets clearer by the day. With the Vikings letting Sam Darnold walk in free agency and holding off from signing Aaron Rodgers, the easy deduction is that J.J. McCarthy will be the starting quarterback in 2025. 

In addition to the Vikings letting Darnold and Rodgers come and go from their view, they also didn’t pursue re-signing Daniel Jones with much aggression. This has had an impact on McCarthy’s draft stock on Underdog. Since March 9th, McCarthy has risen 7.5 spots in ADP from QB-23 to QB-22 in round 12. 

McCarthy is being selected just behind the Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa and ahead of the Panthers Bryce Young. J.J. McCarthy’s 108.2 athleticism score ranked 2nd in the 2024 quarterback class and is 13th in all time rank from Player Profiler’s pool of 297 quarterbacks. Factor in being able to throw to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson as supporting weapons creates a recipe for mass success in 2025. There is plenty of meat on the bone in round 12 to continue clicking J.J. McCarthy at current cost.

Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (@coachretzlaff1)