Sam Darnold injures hip on Seahawks' first series of opener and is ruled out for rest of game

SEATTLE (AP) — Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold suffered a hip injury on Seattle’s first series of the NFL season opener against the New England Patriots on Wednesday night and was ruled out for the rest of the game.

Darnold was sacked by Dre'Mont Jones, and the quarterback's right leg appeared to take the brunt of the impact as Jones drove him to the turf. Darnold limped off the field, was examined in the sideline medical tent and then limped to the locker room.

The Seahawks initially said Darnold was questionable, then announced before halftime that he would not return. Backup Drew Lock replaced him.

“We’ve got to pick him up. We’ve got faith in Drew,” coach Mike Macdonald told NBC in a sideline interview.

Darnold's injury was a deflating moment for Seattle in the rematch of last year's Super Bowl, in which the Seahawks beat the Patriots 29-13.

Darnold did not miss a game last season as he led the Seahawks to the title. He threw for 4,048 yards with 25 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in the regular season as Seattle won a franchise-record 14 games.

It was his first season with the Seahawks after reviving his career with the Vikings in 2024, when he threw for 4,319 yards and 35 touchdowns.

Darnold was 1 of 2 for 13 yards against New England.

Lock, 29, has spent two stints with the Seahawks. He was with Seattle from 2022-23, then spent a season with the New York Giants before returning last year.

He played only in mop-up duty last season, completing two passes for 15 yards in five games.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, (14) is sacked by New England Patriots linebacker Dre'mont Jones, behind, during the first half an NFL football game, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, down center, is sacked by New England Patriots linebacker Dre'mont Jones, behind, as New England Patriots linebacker Elijah Ponder (91), linebacker Robert Spillane (14), linebacker Christian Elliss (53), and defensive tackle Milton Williams (97) look on during the first half an NFL football game , Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold throws a pass during warmups before an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold turns with the ball during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, center, is sacked by New England Patriots linebacker Dre'mont Jones, left, as Seattle Seahawks linebacker Connor O'Toole is at right, during the first half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — It’s “The Pitt” versus “Pluribus” and “Hacks” against “Widow’s Bay” at the 78th Emmy Awards on Monday night.

The stars of all four shows — Noah Wyle in “The Pitt,” Rhea Seehorn in “Pluribus,” Jean Smart in “Hacks” and Matthew Rhys in “Widow’s Bay” — look to be runaway favorites for the top acting awards. And prognosticators are nearly all picking “The Pitt” to win its second straight best drama prize.

But the television competition should otherwise be tight at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The ceremony will air live on NBC starting at 8 p.m. Eastern with one of the network’s signature stars, three-time Emmy winner Mariska Hargitay, hosting. Peacock will stream the show live. The network is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and will have a “peacock blue” carpet in place of the usual red.

Presenters announced Wednesday include Zendaya, Sally Field, Amy Poehler, Jon Hamm, Macaulay Culkin, Alan Cumming, Keke Palmer, Florence Pugh, Marcello Hernández, Odessa A'zion, Dan Levy, Niecy Nash-Betts and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz.

HBO Max’s day-in-the-life-of-an-emergency-room drama “The Pitt” has already become a cultural institution in two seasons, and after big wins as an upstart rookie, it was this year’s top overall nominee with 25. “Hacks,” which follows the travails of a stand-up comic fighting back against age prejudice, sexism and obscurity in the entertainment industry, led all comedies with a record-breaking 24 nominations for its fifth and final season.

Here’s a closer look at where things stand and how they might play out.

While the biggest stars are still awaiting the opening of the envelopes, the majority of this year’s Emmys were already handed out at early ceremonies Saturday and Sunday.

“Widow’s Bay,” the first-year Apple TV horror comedy with Rhys as the mayor of a small New England town dealing with a centuries-old curse, won a whopping eight Emmys including best guest actress for Betty Gilpin.

The show had been widely acclaimed for its sly shifting between humor and dread, and it got 19 nominations, but few expected such a trophy haul. It can win up to six more on Monday.

“Hacks” managed just one win.

“The Pitt” won four early Emmys including an emotional first career victory for 73-year-old Ernest Harden Jr. as best guest actor in a drama.

“Pluribus,” another Apple TV Emmy rookie, from “Breaking Bad” creator Vince Gilligan, also won four.

The soon-to-be-host Hargitay won two Emmys for the documentary she directed about her mother, Jayne Mansfield, to go with one she already had for her long-running role on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

The early Emmys weekend will be edited down to a single recorded show that airs on FXX on Saturday at 8 p.m. in all time zones.

The doctors, nurses and patients of “The Pitt” were flooded with Emmy nominations for Season 2. Many will be competing against one another. There’s so much category overlap that despite having 12 nominations for Monday night’s awards, it can win only six.

Wyle alone can win three Emmys including directing, best drama as a producer and best actor — an award he won last year in his role as Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch.

The other best drama nominees are “Paradise,” “Slow Horses,” “The Diplomat,” “The Gilded Age,” “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” “Your Friends & Neighbors,” and “Pluribus.”

Rarely has a single actor carried a show as much as Rhea Seehorn does “Pluribus,” where she plays one misanthropic woman taking on an alien hive mind that has enveloped almost everyone else alive. Voters are likely to reward the former “Better Call Saul” star with her first Emmy after four nominations.

Seehorn’s fellow nominees include Zendaya, who has won the category twice before for “Euphoria.”

Katherine LaNasa won best supporting actress last year for her “Pitt” portrayal of Nurse Dana, and the character had an even bigger second season, guiding patients through harrowing dramatic moments and becoming a viral phenomenon for the way she says “Baby Jane Doe” — an abandoned child in the ER who plays a key role in the season.

This year she’ll have three castmates — Taylor Dearden, Fiona Dourif and Sepideh Moafi — as competition.

“It feels really exciting to have more of my colleagues up on the board,” LaNasa told The Associated Press after the nominations were announced.

Three “Pitt” men — Patrick Ball, Shawn Hatosy and Gerran Howell — are up for supporting actor.

The Emmys loves to give golden send-offs to outgoing shows, and it will be stunning if Jean Smart doesn’t win best actress in a comedy for playing stand-up comic Deborah Vance, as she did for all four previous seasons.

But Emmy voters’ clear affection for “Widow’s Bay” could keep “Hacks” from winning much more. The two shows will be competing for best comedy along with “Abbott Elementary,” “The Bear,” “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” “Only Murders in the Building” and “Shrinking.”

Hannah Einbinder, who had a breakthrough win last year as best supporting actress in a comedy after four nominations for “Hacks,” will be up against Kate O’Flynn, who wowed with a breakout performance in the debut season of “Widow’s Bay.”

Both shows also have nominees for best supporting actor in a comedy, but they could easily be upstaged by Harrison Ford, who many think will finally win his first major Hollywood award for his performance on Apple TV’s “Shrinking.”

Apple TV has become the dominant force in Emmy comedy. This year’s nominees will benefit from the temporary absence of Apple’s “The Studio,” which had an all-time dominant Emmy performance last year, and of the streamer’s “Ted Lasso,” which put it on the Emmy map.

The limited series categories will have a diminished role at the main Emmys show after four of them were demoted to the early Emmys weekend.

HBO Max’s “DTF St. Louis” was the big winner of those awards, taking best supporting actor and actress for David Harbour and Linda Cardellini.

“Beef” brings star power to the lead acting categories, with Carey Mulligan the consensus favorite for best actress in a limited series and Oscar Isaac favored for best actor.

And after another year of antagonizing President Donald Trump, the late night shows of Jimmy Kimmel and the now-canceled Stephen Colbert are both up for outstanding variety series.

This story has been corrected to reflect that Noah Wyle is personally nominated for three Emmys, not four, and that three men from “The Pitt,” not two, are nominated for best supporting actor.

This combination of images shows, top row from left, Macaulay Culkin, Alan Cumming, Jon Hamm, Marcello Hernández, and Dan Levy, bottom row from left, Niecy Nash-Betts, Keke Palmer, Amy Poehler, Florence Pugh, and Zendaya. (AP Photo)

Noah Wyle poses in the press room during night two of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)