🔥 HOT NEWS: Seahawks Say “No Panic,” But the Timing Tells a Different Story ⚡.DH

The Seahawks were supposed to be past this part.

With just days left before Super Bowl LX, Seattle’s preparation had been built on rhythm, routine, and quiet confidence. Then Wednesday’s practice disrupted all three.

It started with one awkward moment late in the session. Rookie safety Nick Emmanwori twisted his ankle while defending a pass—during the Seahawks’ only padded practice of the week. Within minutes, uncertainty crept in.

“Emmanwori had an ankle today,” head coach Mike Macdonald said carefully. “We’ll kind of go from here and figure out what are the next steps.”

That phrasing mattered.

No timetable. No reassurance. Just pause.

Emmanwori was listed as limited and walked off the field under his own power, a small comfort that did little to quiet concern. Details about which ankle was injured—or how severe the issue might be—weren’t disclosed. And that silence felt loud.

The timing couldn’t be worse.

Emmanwori isn’t just another rookie. He’s become a structural piece of Macdonald’s defense. Drafted 35th overall in 2025, he’s thrived in a hybrid role—part safety, part nickel corner, part linebacker depending on the matchup. His versatility is what allows Seattle to disguise looks and compress space.

Julian Love called him an “X-factor.” Tom Brady called him “an animal.”

In the NFC Championship Game, Emmanwori broke up multiple passes that flipped momentum before halftime. Macdonald later hinted it might have been his best performance yet. Losing—or even limiting—him changes how Seattle can deploy its defense against New England.

And that’s only half the story.

Hovering over the entire week is the quiet reality that Sam Darnold still isn’t practicing fully.

The Seahawks’ quarterback has been limited in all eight practices since suffering a left oblique strain in mid-January. Macdonald insists the plan hasn’t changed.

“Sam’s right on schedule,” he said. “Today he had a great day.”

The words are reassuring. The pattern is not.

Darnold played brilliantly through the injury in the NFC Championship, throwing for 346 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.

But Super Bowl preparation is different. Reps matter. Timing matters. And even when a quarterback says he feels good, the coaching staff’s caution suggests there’s still something to protect.

Darnold himself acknowledged that balance.

“It feels really good,” he said. “The time off has helped… I’m just taking it one step at a time.”

One step at a time is fine in January.

In February, it’s a reminder that nothing is guaranteed.

Seattle isn’t panicking. There’s no outward sign of it. But Super Bowls are decided on margins, and the Seahawks are suddenly navigating two of them at once: a key defensive chess piece with an uncertain ankle, and a franchise quarterback being carefully rationed days before kickoff.

Macdonald’s challenge now is less about scheme and more about adaptability. If Emmanwori can’t go—or can’t go fully—roles will shift. If Darnold remains limited, the game plan may need quiet guardrails.

Nothing is broken.

But something is fragile.

And with the Patriots waiting, even a small fracture in preparation can echo loudly on the biggest stage of all.