Darnold is back as the starter, but what did Macdonald need to see in order to be confident No. 14 could start?
The Seattle Seahawks face the Washington Commanders in Week 3 of the NFL season, with the big story being quarterback Sam Darnold.
After returning to practice this week, some were confident No. 14 could take his place on Sunday against the Commanders, while others thought another week might be needed to get as healthy as possible.
After Jaxon Smith-Njigba accidentally let slip that Darnold would be playing on the Rich Eisen Show, head coach Mike Macdonald revealed just a little while later that Sam is, in fact, playing.
So that is a huge boost to the 2-0 Seahawks as they face a Commanders team without their starting quarterback, Jayden Daniels.
But what did Macdonald need to see from Darnold to be confident he could return to the field this Sunday?
"Really just to see him confident in the things that he's been doing," Macdonald said. "He's been really positive, says he feels great. He looks great, so we're rolling."
The Seahawks are rolling, and with the real possibility of being 3-0, that would be a great start to the season.
But the Commanders won't be no pushovers, as they moved the football well against the Dallas Cowboys with Marcus Mariota at quarterback. Plus, it is their first home game of the season, so the stadium will be rocking.
However, the Seahawks appear better equipped to deal with that as Darnold returns as the starter on Sunday.
Granted, he's played just five snaps this season, so don't expect a smooth game from No. 14, at least initially. This will feel like a preseason game for Darnold, so the Seahawks will have to survive the feel-out period as Darnold gets his feet under him.
Sam is back, and that only means good things for a Seahawks team that has started the year as you would expect a Super Bowl champ to.
