On both sides, the days are being crossed off the calendar as a new edition of the Super Bowl approaches. The Seattle Seahawks will be looking for revenge against the New England Patriots for what happened in 2015, and in order to come out on top at Levi’s Stadium, it is crucial that Sam Darnold has all his key players available.
Alarms went off in the last few hours at the facility where Mike Macdonald’s team is currently training, as one of its defensive stars got injured and its status for Sunday remains uncertain.
Nick Emmanwori was listed as limited on Wednesday after suffering an injury to one of his ankles, according to pool reporter Kalyn Kahler of ESPN. While the safety was seen leaving the field on his own, the severity of the injury is still unknown.
“He had an ankle injury today,” head coach Macdonald told Kahler. “We brought him in to look at it, and we’ll kind of go from here and figure out what are the next steps.”
The impact of Emmanwori on the Seahawks’ defense
Nick Emmanwori has emerged as a cornerstone of the Seahawks‘ secondary, proving to be a second-round steal and a top finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year. His consistency throughout the season was anchored by 56 solo tackles, 1 interception, and an impressive 11 passes defended.
However, it was the NFC Championship Game where he truly elevated his game, recording three crucial pass breakups to stifle the opposition and punch Seattle’s ticket to the Super Bowl.
Darnold’s current situation
Since January 15, Sam Darnold has not participated in full practices with his teammates as he continues to recover from a left oblique injury. Macdonald, in remarks to the press, sought to reassure everyone on the matter.
“Sam’s right on schedule,” the HC told Kahler. “So we’ve had this plan here over the last X amount of weeks, and it varies every day. And today he had a great day, so we’re right on schedule.”