Sam Darnold isn't the Seahawks' only potential key absence against Raiders

Their 4-5 record may not show it, but the Las Vegas Raiders have enjoyed incredible luck during the 2026 NFL season when it comes to their opponents having significant injuries the week that they are playing the Silver and Black.

The New England Patriots were banged up like no other in the secondary in Week 5, the Los Angeles Rams were missing half of their superstars on both sides of the ball, and the San Francisco 49ers were without their top four receivers, and more. Las Vegas has played some real skeleton crews.

Now, did the Raiders capitalize in any of these games? No. In fact, they got blown out in all three of them. Which makes this next thing that I am about to say a bit daunting, when in reality, it should be quite comforting: The Seattle Seahawks will be without Sam Darnold against the Raiders in Week 10.

And he's not the only key player on that side who may miss the contest.

Dun dun duunnnnnn!!!

Sam Darnold headlines Seahawks' long injury report before Raiders clash

Following Wednesday's practice, both teams released their initial injury reports ahead of Sunday's contest. You'll notice that Seattle's list reads more like a book, whereas Las Vegas' reads like a mere headline.

Alright, now that you are done with a lengthy scroll, let's talk about what all of this means.

Darnold, of course, is the headliner here as the starting quarterback of the defending Super Bowl champions. Without Klint Kubiak in his corner this season, he has been a bit more pedestrian, but the Seahawks are obviously still a better team with him under center.

That said, Drew Lock has played fairly well in his place. He hasn't lit the world on fire, but in the three games that he has played in place of Darnold, Lock has thrown five touchdowns and zero interceptions, and Seattle is 3-0. They beat the Cardinals twice, but still.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald doesn't expect Lock to miss Sunday's game, but for him to be dealing with an injury to his throwing arm is significant. Lock also left last week's game, and it is entirely possible, given how banged up he is, that he doesn't finish the game or play it at 100%.

As for the other notable injuries, starting left tackle Charles Cross, defensive tackles Leonard Williams and Jarran Reed, and left guard Quenton Nelson all did not participate on Wednesday. Nelson was ruled out for this game last week by Macdonald, and the others are question marks.

Nelson was just acquired by Seattle before the deadline, and he has long been one of the best guards in the NFL. The fact that the Raiders may get to play a Seahawks team with this many players who are at least not fully healthy is substantial, because Las Vegas has struggled in the trenches all year long.

A handful of other players were limited on Wednesday, which doesn't always mean a lot, but Hall, Nwosu, O'Connell and O'Toole are important parts of the operation for Macdonald's team. Obviously, this report will change and paint a clearer picture as the week goes on, but early reports are not good.

Las Vegas' injury report is microscopic compared to Seattle's

Take a look at how much shorter the Raiders' injury report is:

Obviously, not having Zuhn III would be less than ideal, as he's done a very good job at right guard. But even he was just limited on Wednesday, and Zuhn III could easily clear concussion protocol by the time Sunday's game rolls around.

Booker IV missed last week's game with an ankle injury, but it seems like he is trending in the right direction now. His fellow defensive tackle, Fatukasi, has been on the injury report for weeks with a shoulder injury, as has Thomas with his ankle. Neither has missed a game.

Of course, injuries happen at practice all the time, and there is no reason to declare a clean bill of health or to count our chickens before they hatch. But right now, Las Vegas looks undeniably healthier than Seattle does, and that should matter. We will see if it actually does.

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