Before the Seattle Seahawks played the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, quarterback Sam Darnold strained his oblique. The team even listed him as questionable on the injury report for the game, though the QB did play and did fairly well.
At the time, the team said that Darnold's new injury would need to be managed, but he shouldn't miss any time. He hasn't yet. After playing efficiently against the 49ers, he was explosive against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game. Darnold was the key reason his team won the game.
But has Darnold suffered any kind of setback ahead of taking on the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX? No. While he might still be dealing with the effects of his strained oblique well after the season ends, he won't be any more negatively affected against New England than he was against the Rams. He will play.
Will Sam Darnold be ready as the Seattle Seahawks play the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl?
So will Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. Maye appears to have hurt his shoulder against the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship game, but he has practiced fully ahead of the Super Bowl. His coach, Mike Vrabel, made a sarcastic remark ahead of the game that no one on New England's team is "100 percent," but many of the media appeared to miss Vrabel's point.
Just as it is with Sam Darnold, Drake Maye and the rest of his teammates have now played almost 20 games. Professional football is a collision sport, and going through a season without a few bruises and pain is unlikely. That is what Vrabel meant.
Any injuries tend to get blown out of proportion before the Super Bowl. Would Maye's shoulder or Darnold's oblique get much attention if the season were still midway through? Not at all, so there is no reason to exaggerate how badly they are hurt now.
The hope now is that Sam Darnold is terrific for the Seattle Seahawks, while Drake Maye is less so for the New England Patriots. After all, it wouldn't strain Darnold's oblique much if he is lifting the Lombardi Trophy after Seattle wins Super Bowl LX.