As the Vikings are all-too-aware, anything that pushes an NFL team off its preferred quarterback plan can doom a season. We’re not there yet with the Seattle Seahawks, who watched Super Bowl-winning QB (and former Viking) Sam Darnold go down with a hip injury on the fifth play from scrimmage of the 2026 NFL season Wednesday.

The NFL season officially kicked off on Wednesday night, and all I have to say is that if the rest of the year is going to be as crazy as Seattle's win over New England, then this is going to go down as the wildest season ever.

Sam Darnold entered his first NFL season as a defending Super Bowl champion. The Seattle Seahawks quarterback faced the very team he helped beat, the New England Patriots, to kick off the 2026 campaign .

Sam Darnold's hip injury forced Drew Lock into action with zero practice reps, but the Seattle Seahawks' backup sparked a stunning comeback.

Is there a comeback story in this year's NFL quarterback storyline? We look at other career disappointments who could surprise with a turnaround in 2026.