Next man up: Ranking the NFL's backup quarterbacks for 6 teams that have had QB1 chaos

The Seattle Seahawks ' Sam Darnold suffered an unusual hip injury against the New England Patriots , and just like that, Drew Lock was leading the defending Super Bowl champs to a comeback victory on Opening Night.

Less than 10 minutes into his Vikings debut Week 1, Kyler Murray was knocked out with a concussion. Week 2 saw three recent first-round quarterbacks succumb to injury: Chicago 's Caleb Williams and Washington's Jayden Daniels , the first two picks of the 2024 NFL Draft, followed by the Giants' Jaxson Dart — and each injury seemingly worse than the next.

Seattle's Sam Darnold going down on Opening Night was an omen for the early portion of the 2026 NFL season.