SEATTLE (AP) - The Seahawks found a way to steady themselves Sunday, and Drew Lock was right in the middle of it.
Pressed into action again because Sam Darnold was out with a cracked rib and a quadriceps injury, Lock delivered the kind of efficient, mistake-free outing Seattle needed in a 17-3 win over the Arizona Cardinals. He finished 19 of 28 for 175 yards and a touchdown, added five carries for 16 yards, and did it while managing an elbow issue and an oblique injury that briefly sent him to the injury tent late in the third quarter.
Lock had been inactive the previous two games because of the elbow problem, then got thrust back into the lineup after Darnold was hurt in Seattle’s 34-17 loss to Chicago last Monday. Even with the injuries stacked on top of each other, Lock kept the offense on schedule and avoided the kind of dangerous throws that have hurt the Seahawks at times this season.
“They had a great plan,” Lock said. “We discussed basically all day Saturday how we wanted to handle this, and it was executed perfect. Hats off to everybody, and (I) waited to throw until we got the shoulder pads and helmets on.”
He didn’t have to carry the whole show alone. Six different Seahawks caught at least one pass, and rookie Jadarian Price led the team with 54 receiving yards on four catches.
That marked the first time this season someone other than Jaxon Smith-Njigba topped Seattle in receiving. Price also added 24 rushing yards on nine carries, giving the Seahawks a much-needed spark from a player who has had a stop-start season because of injuries and discipline issues.
The ground game helped, too. Zach Charbonnet ran for 77 yards on 16 carries, and Seattle’s offense looked far more balanced than it has in some recent outings.
Lock’s numbers tell part of the story, but the bigger point is what didn’t happen: no interceptions, no sacks, and no panic. Through three games with significant snaps, he has 76 pass attempts without a pick.
Darnold, by comparison, has thrown nine interceptions in seven games. And while Seattle was missing two starting offensive linemen, Arizona never got to Lock.
That could matter moving forward if Darnold continues to struggle with turnovers and Lock keeps producing in his absence.
Seattle’s defense, meanwhile, kept the Cardinals bottled up all afternoon. Arizona managed only three points and 198 total yards, and Tyson Allgeier was held to 46 yards on 17 carries, a 2.7-yard average. The Seahawks have now allowed just three points in each of their last two wins, and they’ve surrendered 10 points or fewer in four of their five victories this season.
There was also a reminder that A.J. Barner can still matter in the passing game.
He scored twice Sunday, once on the ground and once through the air, but Seattle’s tight ends as a group have remained quiet. Through nine games, Barner, Eric Saubert and Elijah Arroyo have combined for 27 catches for 247 yards, with Barner accounting for 23 receptions and 210 yards.
“We can kind of feel the frustration with him of like what he expects from himself,” coach Mike Macdonald said of Barner. “But just no flinch, just keep attacking it.
He’s a leader on our offense and he provides so much great energy. When he’s on his game, it really helps our offense.”
The game also brought a quieter afternoon for Smith-Njigba, who was held to a season-low 51 yards on seven catches. It was only the second time this season he failed to top 100 receiving yards, though he still hit a major milestone.
On an 8-yard catch from Lock with 7:36 left in the first quarter, Smith-Njigba reached 1,000 receiving yards, becoming the first NFL receiver this season to get there. He also became just the third Seahawks player in franchise history to post at least 1,000 yards in three straight seasons, joining Tyler Lockett and Steve Largent.
Seattle entered the day missing six starters, including Darnold, Charles Cross, Quenton Nelson, Rashid Shaheed and Uchenna Nwosu. Macdonald said Monday that Lock had a “good exam” and that his oblique injury is something the team can manage going into next week.
The Seahawks are 5-4 now, and they’ll try to build on the win Sunday at the Las Vegas Raiders.
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