Drew Lock is getting another turn in the spotlight, and this one comes with Seattle’s offense in his hands.
The Lee’s Summit native will start for the Seahawks this weekend against the Arizona Cardinals after Sam Darnold went down with a right-glute injury in the season opener against the New England Patriots. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said Monday that Darnold is out for now, and Lock is the guy stepping in.
Lock already handled the job once this season. He replaced Darnold on the second drive of the opener and helped Seattle finish off a 13-10 win, going 16 of 22 for 187 yards and a touchdown. That’s the kind of backup performance that keeps a team from spiraling, and it put Lock right back in the conversation as a starter.
The Seahawks’ next game is set for a 3:25 p.m. (CT) Sunday kickoff.
Darnold’s recovery could stretch as long as four weeks, according to an ESPN report, but Macdonald said Seattle is not putting him on injured reserve, which would have forced him to miss at least four games.
“We’ll just kind of re-evaluate every day and re-evaluate next week, and we’ll go from there,” Macdonald told reporters on Wednesday. “He’s killing it on his rehab.
He’s doing a great job. He’s doing a lot right now; he’s just not going to be able to play this week.”
There’s also a chance Lock won’t be asked to carry the whole load alone. Second-year quarterback Jalen Milroe could see some snaps as well.
“We want Drew to play the whole game, obviously,” Macdonald said. “But we learned last week that really, it’s a great message for the whole team of, ‘Hey, we’re all kind of one or two plays away from being ready.
Preparation is key, no matter my role. And then when I get my opportunity, you know, let’s go take advantage of it.’”
For Lock, this is familiar territory. The 29-year-old has spent much of his career as a backup since the Broncos took him in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He’s now in his second stint with Seattle after being traded from Denver to the Seahawks in 2022 as part of the Russell Wilson deal.
His record as a starter stands at 10-18. He last opened a season as the starter in 2024 with the New York Giants, where he started five games.
Before that, he went 8-13 across parts of three seasons with Denver, then helped Seattle win one of his two starts in 2023. He returned to the Seahawks last year as a free agent to back up Darnold.
Over his career, Lock has thrown for 6,556 yards, 35 touchdowns and 28 interceptions, with a 59.9% completion rate.
Seattle is leaning on more than just experience here. The offense has weapons in All-Pro receivers Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, and there’s another local tie up front with Maryville native Jalen Sundell at center.
“Drew’s a proven, really good player in this league,” Macdonald said. “When he’s started, he’s played really good football.
When he’s been on our team since I’ve seen him play in person, he’s [been] a heck of a player here. Heck of a guy.
Heck of a teammate. He’s got a great balance about him of being a true professional, but also, he’s a loose and focused guy ...
All the things that we want from our players, he’s that at the quarterback position.”
Lock said after the Patriots game that he prepares every week as if he’s going to play. That approach is about to matter again.
“It’s the same thing every week. [I] don’t know when my number’s going to get called.
I’ve done everything up to this point... to be ready for moments like this,” Lock said. “I know what kind of defense we have.
I know the weapons we have on offense. Take care of the football, put it in these guys’ hands, let ‘em make plays, and we’ll see what the scoreboard looks like at the end of it.”
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Drinkwitz Knows Mizzou Has Two Problems That Could Get Exposed Fast
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Drinkwitz said he took responsibility for the problems and noted that changes have already been made to address them, which matters because the schedule ahead will not offer much room to breathe. Missouri has to get sharper in a hurry, especially with cornerback play still searching for consistency and the margins getting thinner against tougher opponents. [Read more 🡒]