Seahawks' Drew Lock Gets First Meaningful Snaps in Over a Year vs. Patriots

Drew Lock gets his shot versus the Patriots after starter Sam Darnold left the game with a reported hip injury on Seattle's first drive.

Sep 9, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (2) hands off to running back George Holani (36) during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Seattle Seahawks didn’t get the start they wanted in the Week 1 matchup hosting the New England Patriots. Quarterback Sam Darnold was limping off the field with a reported hip injury. Darnold was seen walking off the field after the play, and was replaced by veteran Drew Lock.

A six-year NFL veteran with nine appearances and two starts for the Seahawks, Lock got his first throw with an eight-yard completion to star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He gets more chances as Darnold is questionable to return. Lock remained in the game through the first half, at the time of publication.

Second-year QB Jalen Milroe is the team's desginated emergency quarterback for the game.

Lock’s First Real Action in a While

Sep 9, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (2) takes a snap during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lock joined the Seahawks for his second stint with Seattle last offseason as he would be the unquestioned backup quarterback. Darnold played a full, healthy season for the Seahawks as Lock didn’t get much action. Lock played five games and completed 2-of-3 of his passes for 15 yards. His longest pass was 11 yards.

Wednesday’s game versus the Patriots is the first meaningful snaps since he was with the Giants in 2024. This was the season where he played eight games, with five of them being starts. Lock has filled in as the temporary starter for the Seahawks in 2023. He played four games, starting two of them, with his biggest start being the Seahawks’ 20-17 win on Monday Night Football against a superior Philadelphia Eagles team.

Real Pressure on Lock

Sep 9, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (2) at the line of scrimmage during the first quarter against the New England Patriots at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With this game being the first meaningful game for Lock in well over a year, that is going to be a lot of pressure for a backup quarterback. Lock, however, has been on multiple sides of an NFL journey. He has been the young starting quarterback with a future; he has been a backup and he has been the emergency starter.

He will have to be ready to play at his best and find ways to get the ball to JSN and Rashid Shaheed. This comes after the Seahawks’ Dark Side Defense is seeing some struggles early. He hasn’t made too many mistakes in his game, but he has to play better against a Patriots team that is feeling disrespected.

Lock easily won the quarterback battle during training camp over Milroe. He was stellar in the Seahawks’ first preseason game versus the Dallas Cowboys. Lock, however, has to translate that into a regular-season game where it matters.

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