The Seattle Seahawks walked into Week 9 with a short-handed roster and still left with a 17-3 win over the Arizona Cardinals. That alone says plenty about how this game unfolded.
With key pieces like Leonard Williams and Uchenna Nwosu unavailable, Seattle could have easily been the team getting pushed around. Instead, the Seahawks controlled the night and came out with a result that felt bigger than just one regular-season win.
Drew Lock was at the center of it. He entered the game dealing with an elbow injury, then appeared to pick up a hip issue during the action, but he stayed in there and kept the offense steady.
More importantly, he protected the ball. That mattered most, especially with Sam Darnold’s turnover issues hanging over the quarterback discussion.
Lock finished 19 of 28 for 175 yards and a touchdown, while also running five times for 16 yards. He didn’t light up the box score, but he managed the game the way Seattle needed him to.
The Seahawks also got a timely boost from AJ Barner. He was featured more heavily in the plan, and the results were immediate.
The Barn Yard push showed up several times and kept producing, including two first downs and a touchdown. Barner also hauled in a goal-line catch for a score of his own, and in a game decided by 14 points, that kind of production mattered plenty.
Brian Fleury deserves credit too, even if the bigger lesson might be that less can be more. The offense looked cleaner with Lock under center, leaning more on the run and on chain-moving plays instead of chasing the flashy stuff. With Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price available, Seattle had the pieces to keep things simpler and more effective.
Dante Fowler Jr. finally gave the Seahawks something they had been waiting on. With Nwosu out again, Fowler was needed to make an impact, and he delivered a key sack in the first half while staying active around the ball early. It was the kind of outing Seattle has been hoping to see from him since he arrived.
There was also a big response from Nick Emmanwori after a rough Week 8 against the Chicago Bears. Against Arizona, he was back to making plays that changed the feel of the game.
His biggest moment came midway through the fourth quarter, when he knocked away a pass from Trey McBride at the goal line with Seattle ahead 17-3. If that ball gets in, the whole finish looks different.
Not everyone came out smiling, at least not in the way the stat sheet would suggest. Sam Darnold was the loser here even though he didn’t play.
The numbers around Seattle’s quarterback situation are hard to ignore: the team is 3-0 in 2026 when his backup takes the majority of reps, and 1-4 with Darnold. Add in the turnovers he has piled up this season, and Lock is making a case that Seattle can get cleaner quarterback play without the mistakes.
That doesn’t mean the Seahawks are headed for a quarterback controversy. But if Lock gets the start in Week 10 and Seattle beats the Las Vegas Raiders, the pressure to make a change at quarterback could get loud fast.
In Other News...
Seahawks Suddenly Have A Week 10 Quarterback Problem Again
Drew Lock took another hit to Seattles quarterback depth chart in the game against Arizona, leaving with a new injury to his right hip area but staying in the contest. Mike Macdonald said Locks status is still uncertain as the team waits to evaluate an oblique injury, adding another layer of concern to a position group that has already been under pressure.
Sam Darnolds situation only sharpens the uncertainty, with the veteran reportedly at risk of missing Week 10 because of quad and rib injuries. His status is being treated as week-to-week, which leaves the Seahawks bracing for another stretch where the quarterback plan may be changing on the fly. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Head Into Cardinals Game With One Brutal Problem
The Seahawks head into their bye week in a far different place than they expected after dropping three of their last four, and the timing could hardly be worse with Arizona waiting next. Seattles injury report has turned into a weekly storyline, and this one is especially harsh, with seven players ruled out and the offensive line needing another round of adjustments.
Mike Macdonald also confirmed Drew Lock will start at quarterback despite limited practice, adding another layer of uncertainty to a team already trying to stabilize itself. On the other side of the ball, Seattle will be missing Leonard Williams and Uchenna Nwosu against the Cardinals, leaving the defense shorthanded at a time when the Seahawks could use as much continuity as possible. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Face A Painful Trade Deadline Reality As Injuries Mount
The Seahawks entered the stretch run at 4-4 and already juggling a roster hit hard by injuries, with quarterback Sam Darnold expected to miss several games. The latest blow came after the clubs recent move to bring in left guard Quenton Nelson, who then suffered a knee injury that required a minor procedure, adding another layer of uncertainty to an offense trying to steady itself.
With the November 10 trade deadline approaching, John Schneider appears more likely to stand pat than chase another splashy move. The focus in Seattle is shifting toward building around a young roster and, potentially, working out a contract extension for Nelson, even as the team tries to navigate a season where the injury list has become impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]