Sam Darnold expects to play Saturday in the Seattle Seahawks' divisional-round playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers, despite a new oblique injury. The Pro Bowl quarterback was listed as questionable after feeling something during Thursday's practice. He left as a precaution and is undergoing treatment, expressing strong confidence in his availability for the rematch.

Darnold, who signed with Seattle in March, is making his second career playoff start. The Seahawks earned the NFC's top seed after beating the 49ers in Week 18. Seattle's offense will need its quarterback at full strength to face a 49ers team that has been rolling. The team also gets left tackle Charles Cross and safety Coby Bryant back from injuries.

The game at Lumen Field will be Seattle's first home playoff contest with fans since 2017. Darnold emphasized the advantage of using cadence with the home crowd's noise. Despite the postseason stakes, the quarterback and coach Mike Macdonald are treating it as another week, focusing on executing their game plan against a familiar and formidable opponent.