NFL · New England Patriots · 13:22 ET · via Breakline desk

Sam Darnold Gets 'Really Good News' on Hip, Still Misses Week 2

Editorial sports image for Sam Darnold Gets 'Really Good News' on Hip, Still Misses Week 2

Mike Macdonald called the update 'really, really good news.'

Breakline desk · 13:22 ET

head coach Mike Macdonald delivered the kind of medical update on Thursday that requires a full translation matrix. According to Macdonald, starting quarterback received "really, really good news" regarding his hip injury.

The catch? That fantastic, incredible, very good news still means Darnold is expected to miss next week's divisional road trip against the . In the NFL, "good news" just means your season isn't instantly over and you don't need a surgical team on standby.

The injury update follows 's grueling 13-10 rock fight of a win over the . When a football game ends with a score that looks like a middle school baseball final, you know the bodies took an absolute beating.

Losing your starting quarterback for a divisional matchup is never ideal, especially when the betting markets are already trying to figure out who the Seahawks actually are this season. Darnold has been the engine for this offense, and pulling him out of the mix completely shifts the math for anyone looking at the total for the game.

For now, gets to breathe a sigh of relief that their QB1 avoided a catastrophic hip issue. But whoever steps under center next week in the desert is going to have to prove that Macdonald's optimism can actually translate to the scoreboard.