Sam Darnold appeared on the Seattle Seahawks’ injury report Thursday with an unexpected oblique issue, which reportedly led him to miss portions of practice. The quarterback, however, insisted there’s little to no chance of him sitting out of Saturday’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

However, Ryan Clark is questioning the legitimacy of the reported injury. The ESPN analyst floated the theory that Darnold might just be planting seeds, laying down convenient excuses in advance. So if he struggles against San Francisco, he can point back to the injury as the reason.

“It sounds like the setup for an excuse,” Clark said. “It sounds like the things that you say before a game when you don’t play well, when the throws aren’t where they’re supposed to be. Everybody can point back, ‘But you have to remember, he didn’t get those first-team reps and his oblique was tight on Thursday.’

“This is the biggest game in Sam Darnold’s career. This is another opportunity to exorcise some of those demons that finished the season along with him [last season]. And so if you are the Seattle Seahawks and Mike MacDonald’s team, you have to be extremely concerned about where Sam Darnold is, not only physically but mentally, entering into this game with the San Francisco 49ers.”

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Sam Darnold led the Seahawks to a 13-3 victory over the 49ers in the season finale just two weeks ago. He completed 20 of 26 passes for 198 yards without throwing a touchdown in the encounter. There’s still little confidence in some quarters that he can deliver when it matters the most.

Mike MacDonald expresses optimism about Sam Darnold’s fitness

Mac MacDonald expressed optimism about the availability of Sam Darnold against the San Francisco 49ers in his final press conference on Friday. The coach echoed what the quarterback said about his fitness a day before, offering fans some confidence ahead of the game.

“Talking about Sam, I heard what he said yesterday to you guys; I see it the same way,” Macdonald said. “We’re listing him as questionable. Really optimistic he’s going to be able to play. Right now we’re going through all the protocol … just out of caution to make sure we’re ready to go.

“We’ll test it out tomorrow and kind of make the final decision, but again, we’re optimistic he’s going to play. If he doesn’t, or at some point he doesn’t, then [Drew Lock is] ready to go, and that’s why Drew’s here. He’s doing a great job.”

Sam Darnold has made noteworthy impacts on the field for Seattle this season, ensuring the Seahawks earn the No.1 seed in the NFC. He is looking to finish the job by leading the team to the Super Bowl amid the doubts around his ability to do so.