Sam Darnold is determined to play against the Cardinals on Sunday, but whether he gets his wish remains to be seen.
Darnold suffered a sprained AC joint in his throwing arm against the Broncos in Week 4. The injury temporarily sent him to the locker room for further evaluation, but he returned early in the second quarter after missing only four plays and remained under center for the remainder of the game.
Darnold did not disclose the grade of his sprain when speaking with reporters on Monday, which is an important factor in the timeline of his recovery — a Grade 1 sprain would bode well for his chances of playing. However, he has been getting treatment on his elbow in an effort to suit up against Arizona in Week 5.
“I feel good,” Darnold said, per Newsday’s Al Iannazzone. “It keeps getting better every day. I’m excited to see what my progress is come Wednesday. We’ll see what we do there.”
Wednesday is a key day for Darnold when it comes to his chances of playing this weekend. If he can’t throw in practice, his odds of taking the field against the Cardinals become slim. With that being said, Darnold does not believe he needs to practice this week in order to be ready to go for Sunday.
“It really does depend on what the doctors say and what they think can happen in the future in terms of further injury,” Darnold said. “If this can have a lingering effect if I do hurt it more.
“For me, the most important thing is playing football. I understand that there might be a potential risk. I think the most important thing is going out there and playing if I can. If I’m able to play and I don’t play, that’s worse than anything, in my opinion.”
Adam Gase did not rule out the possibility that Darnold could miss time when speaking with reporters on Friday. It’s also safe to assume Gase and general manager Joe Douglas will have a say in the final decision as they look to protect their quarterback. In the event that Darnold cannot play, Joe Flacco will start under center.
“Your best ability as a quarterback is your availability,” Darnold said. “I’ve always said that, and I believe in that. I always want to do everything I can to not miss any games.”