Drew Lock has done more than just keep the Seattle Seahawks afloat with Sam Darnold sidelined. He’s been clean, fast and efficient, and former NFL quarterback Brock Huard thinks one of the biggest reasons for that success deserves more attention.
Through two games, Lock has helped Seattle start 2-0 while completing 35 of 48 passes for 422 yards and four touchdowns without a turnover. His 72.9% completion rate, 127.3 passer rating and 85.8 QBR all sit near the top of the league, and Pro Football Focus has graded him as the highest-rated quarterback so far at 92.1.
But Huard’s focus on Wednesday’s Blue 88 segment on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk was on something a little less flashy: Lock’s ability to get rid of the ball quickly and avoid sacks.
He’s been taken down only twice in Seattle’s first two games, and just three quarterbacks with at least 20 dropbacks this season have been sacked fewer times.
“The data and the analytics are unbelievably clear. If you want to have a high efficiency and expected play efficiency, you know what you can’t have?
Negative plays,” Huard said during his Blue 88 segment Wednesday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. “Sacks are negative, drive-killing plays.
Advantage defense. Really hard, really difficult on the offense and especially the O-line.
But if you stay in anything from like third-and-7 (and) under, guess what? You got an opportunity to get the ball out in 2, 2.5 seconds to get a first down.
You don’t have to hold it, you don’t have to have intermediate and deeper developing plays. And I think he’s done a phenomenal (job).”
Huard also credited first-year offensive coordinator Brian Fleury for helping shape the offense around that strength.
“I think that’s one of Fleury’s cool strengths here the first couple weeks understanding (that) sacks kill you,” Huard said. “And if this team averages one sack a game and at the end of the year you look up and they have given up 17 sacks, they’re going to win the NFC West and they’re going to be the No. 1 seed (in the NFC) because that is a game-winning kind of number.”
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The timing only adds to the intrigue for the Seahawks. Darnold is working back from injury and could be close to returning, but Locks strong start has raised his profile at exactly the wrong moment for a team that still has to sort out its long-term quarterback picture. With Lock in the final year of his contract and headed for unrestricted free agency after the season, Seattle suddenly has more to weigh than just who starts next week. [Read more 🡒]
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Fleury pointed to both players work in the previous game against the Arizona Cardinals, which gives Seattle some reason for optimism even with the shuffle. Still, this is the kind of injury that can test depth quickly, especially up front, and the Seahawks now have a real decision to monitor as they look for the best answer on the right side of the line. [Read more 🡒]