Week 2 in Seattle and Arizona won’t turn into a showcase of elite quarterback talent, but it does set up a telling matchup between two passers trying to hold down important jobs. Jacoby Brissett is in line to lead the Cardinals, while Drew Lock will get the start for the Seahawks with Sam Darnold out because of a glute injury.
Both quarterbacks arrive with momentum from Week 1. Lock helped Seattle get a win in a backup role against the 2025 Super Bowl runners-up, and Brissett delivered against a much-hyped Los Angeles Chargers team.
The bigger question is how their careers stack up, and how they’ve looked over their most recent starts. The answer starts with experience. Brissett has logged far more chances to start in the NFL, and he has generally been the steadier quarterback when given a longer runway in the job.
Lock’s path has been different. Most of his 28 career starts came from 2019-21 with the Denver Broncos, and after the 2023 season he left Seattle for the New York Giants in search of another starting opportunity. That move didn’t stick, and he came back to the Seahawks in 2025 to serve as Darnold’s backup.
Even with the lesser résumé, Lock has repeatedly shown he can answer when Seattle needs him. One of the clearest examples came in Week 15 of the 2023 season, when he guided the Seahawks to a 20-17 Monday Night Football win over the Philadelphia Eagles and threw the game-winning touchdown to rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
His Week 1 performance only added to that trust. Filling in for Darnold, Lock helped Seattle beat the same opponent it had defeated in the Super Bowl, which strengthened the belief that he can keep the team moving.
Brissett has also had his moments against Seattle’s defense. In his one game versus Mike Macdonald’s unit in 2025, he completed 22 of 44 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns. That kind of line suggests the Seahawks should not expect an easy day against a backup-caliber quarterback.
So while this game may not feature headline-grabbing names at the position, it still carries real intrigue. Lock is trying to keep Seattle winning until Darnold returns, and Brissett is working to lock down the starting role for a Cardinals team on the rise.
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Mike Macdonald's New Edge Already Has Rams Fans Talking
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Kelly Staffords Instagram story added a little extra spice to the matchup, since the Rams quarterbacks wife made clear she was uneasy with Seattles use of AI in preparation. With the teams still staring at another meeting ahead and both clubs coming off recent stretches that have given their fans plenty to evaluate, the conversation around this matchup has widened well beyond the usual injury reports and game plans. [Read more 🡒]
Mike Macdonald Opened Up About A Seahawks Struggle Fans Never Saw
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Macdonald said those challenges reached beyond the sideline and into his own well-being, touching on depression and the mental strain that came with the job. Seattles improvement the following season only sharpened the spotlight on how much his self-awareness and recovery mattered, even if the full story of how he worked through that period still leaves one important piece to be told. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Face Two Key Week 2 Injury Questions Against Arizona
The Seahawks head into their Week 2 matchup with Arizona already dealing with a trimmed-down depth chart, with quarterback Sam Darnold and safety Ty Okada ruled out because of injuries. Those absences force Seattle to shuffle both a key spot on offense and an important piece of the secondary, while the team waits to see how the rest of the roster holds up through the final stages before kickoff.
Nick Emmanwori and right guard Anthony Bradford are both listed as questionable, leaving two more spots in flux as Seattle works through its game-day decisions. If either player can go, it could soften the blow of the early injury news, but the Seahawks are still in a spot where lineup changes may continue right up until they face the Cardinals. [Read more 🡒]