- May 21, 2026
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One of the realities of life as an NFL backup quarterback is that you get fewer opportunities in practice and that means there are some plays that you never get to rehearse ahead of time.
That's the situation Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock found himself in after replacing the injured Sam Darnold during Wednesday night's game against the Patriots. With the Seahawks down 10-3 and facing a fourth-and-1 from the New England 45-yard line with under 12 minutes to play, offensive coordinator Brian Fleury sent in a play that Lock had never gotten the chance to try out on the practice field.
It was a play-action pass to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba that picked up the first down and then much more once Smith-Njigba turned around to find room to run all the way to the end zone.
"It is like a classic football play," Lock said, via the team's website. "But, no. No, definitely never ran it. Looked kind of funny before the snap. I didn't really seem like they had anybody ready to match Jaxon based on what I knew we were about it run. He's the third read in that play, and when 11 is just standing there, you got to give him the pill."
The Seahawks struggled to move the ball most of the night, but Drake Maye kept giving the ball away for the Patriots and Lock came up with key completions to Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp to set up Seattle's go-ahead field goal. He finished the night 16-of-22 for 187 yards and said after the game that he trusted in the defense to keep the game within reach.
"Knowing the type of defense that we have, there is no rush to push the ball down the field," Lock said. "Let's find ways to get the ball in our guys' hands. Now, when the ones down field are there, I've never been one to be afraid of those, but having the mindset of taking football, getting it in our guys' hands. You got the best defense in the world, in my opinion, let's keep the ball moving forward and see what the scoreboard looks like at the end of this."
The Seahawks can be happy with how the scoreboard looks thanks in large part to how well Lock handled being thrown into the fire on the second series of the 2026 season.
That's the situation Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock found himself in after replacing the injured Sam Darnold during Wednesday night's game against the Patriots. With the Seahawks down 10-3 and facing a fourth-and-1 from the New England 45-yard line with under 12 minutes to play, offensive coordinator Brian Fleury sent in a play that Lock had never gotten the chance to try out on the practice field.
It was a play-action pass to wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba that picked up the first down and then much more once Smith-Njigba turned around to find room to run all the way to the end zone.
"It is like a classic football play," Lock said, via the team's website. "But, no. No, definitely never ran it. Looked kind of funny before the snap. I didn't really seem like they had anybody ready to match Jaxon based on what I knew we were about it run. He's the third read in that play, and when 11 is just standing there, you got to give him the pill."
The Seahawks struggled to move the ball most of the night, but Drake Maye kept giving the ball away for the Patriots and Lock came up with key completions to Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp to set up Seattle's go-ahead field goal. He finished the night 16-of-22 for 187 yards and said after the game that he trusted in the defense to keep the game within reach.
"Knowing the type of defense that we have, there is no rush to push the ball down the field," Lock said. "Let's find ways to get the ball in our guys' hands. Now, when the ones down field are there, I've never been one to be afraid of those, but having the mindset of taking football, getting it in our guys' hands. You got the best defense in the world, in my opinion, let's keep the ball moving forward and see what the scoreboard looks like at the end of this."
The Seahawks can be happy with how the scoreboard looks thanks in large part to how well Lock handled being thrown into the fire on the second series of the 2026 season.