QB Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks Fumble Away Loss at Steelers
The Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers entered Saturday’s preseason opener in the Steel City with two things in common.
One, they are both in transition at the QB spot.
Two, they are both hoping to accelerate through that transition so they can continue a tradition of contention.
The final score at the newly crowned "Acrisure Stadium'' (the ketchup has been removed from the table) - Steelers 32, Seahawks 25 - does not in any way lock Seattle into a permanent decision on who will be the heir to the departed-to-Denver Russell Wilson. Nor does the outcome etch in cement the 2022 fate of a team that outside of 2021 under coach Pete Carroll is a perennial contender.
But it couldn't help that Drew Lock coughed it up the way he did.
Said Carroll in previewing the game: “We’d love to see the guys execute and they’ve done really well on the practice field. We’d love to see it carry over ... There’s opportunities and if there’s opportunities there, how do they seize them? Do they come through and make the play? Make the big throw in red zone? Maybe it’s in third down or whatever it is and they hit someone open deep.
"We just have to wait and see.”
We waited.
We saw.
The results? Interesting.
Geno Smith produced early, with a TD run. Drew Lock did so later, with help from a DeeJay Dallas 17-yard catch, run and leap for a TD that tied the score at 25-all in the fourth quarter. (Dallas also led Seattle in rushing with 10 carries for 73 yards.)
Smith (10 of 15 for 101 yards passing, plus his work as a runner) came in as the leader in the competition and got the first quarterback shot here.
The prediction from Carroll: “We knew Geno. We knew his stuff, and we’ve seen a lot of him over the years. So, there’s been few surprises there. He’s been really consistent and rock-solid.”
Then came the ex-Broncos QB Lock, who ended 11 of 15 for 102 yards and the two TDs ... but ... Well, first, the prediction from Carroll: “I’m surprised by some stuff that Drew does. His movement. His natural ability. ... He’s really talented. He’s got a lot of skills.”
But alas, the "movement'' wasn't enough when on a final possession with the score tied, Lock was pressured ... Lock was sacked ... and Lock fumbled.
And another QB stepped up.
Just as the Seahawks are trying to rebound in a post-Wilson era, the Steelers are doing so after the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger. The Seattle defense here couldn't stop backup Steelers rookie Kenny Pickett, who threw the game-winning TD pass with three seconds left.
Pickett did his thing against the Seattle D, finishing 13-of-15, 95 yards, with two TDs and zero picks in his debut (with a 132.6 rating). He was also a running threat, including an 8-yard scoot to set up his game-winner.
And now the Seahawks retreat home, hopefully having taken two steps forward.
“No matter what, I have Drew Lock’s back. I want that to be known,” Smith said before the game. “We’re teammates, we’re competing, but we’re in the same offense, we’re in the same room, and we’re going to make each other better.”
On this day, the situation - and his play - made Drew Lock something just short of "better.''
