If this is the year for breakout backups, maybe the Seahawks just joined the party
Drew Lock may become the answer to a trivia question in years to come as the backup quarterback who in 2024 led the Seahawks to one of their most improbable victories on Monday Night Football by engineering a late 92-yard drive to beat the Eagles.
But there were other parts of his performance that stood out, some more than others, such as blocking for Ken Walker on a touchdown run and a post-game interview that was most memorable of all.
Lock related to those of us who have never played football, and I’m also guessing that coaches will use video of his interview with Lisa Salters to inspire their players.
He talked about having doubts pertaining to his ability to still play the game, wondering if he could shine if given the opportunity. As ESPN showed us in a graphic, it has been 1,142 days since Lock led a team on a game-winning drive.
After starting and having a respectable game against the 49ers last week, Lock reminded himself that he’s “still the man,” and could do what he always did at Missouri, where he excelled often enough to be the Broncos’ second-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft.
Imagine being the man in high school and college and then turning into a clipboard-holding guy in the NFL, always one play away from getting another chance but mainly hanging out as a second-stringer that no one wants to see in an actual game. The backup’s a backup for a reason, and Lock looks like he’ll be one again this Sunday when the Seahawks face the Titans. Pete Carroll told reporters Monday night that Geno Smith should be recovered enough from his groin injury to start against Tennessee.
But should he? It depends on your point of view. I agree with Carroll. Smith has done enough to keep his job, and in spite of his heroics Monday night, Lock, for 58 of the 60 minutes, did not look better than the man ahead of him.
Yet it’s a tricky one. We’ve seen Geno for the better part of two seasons now. He was terrific in the first half of last season but tailed off a bit in the second half. This year he’s had some standout games and other games that make you shake your head and think he’s not a franchise QB for the future.
With Lock, we don’t know high his ceiling is. That unknown keeps me wanting to see more of him down the stretch, particularly since the Seahawks, at the risk of being a buzz kill after a great win, aren’t going anywhere this season even if they make the playoffs.
This is a 7-7 team, the definition of so-so, and so-so teams don’t win Super Bowls. Yeah, you’re right, they could win their next three games against Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Arizona and enter the playoffs on a four-game winning streak, catching fire at the right time. They’ve proven they can beat two of the top four teams in the NFC (Detroit and Philadelphia) and hung with the other (Dallas). But they’re not in the same neighborhood as the 49ers.
It might be more beneficial to see if Lock can be a franchise quarterback even if Broncos’ fans would tell you not to waste your time with that ridiculous thought. Lock didn’t cut it in Denver but we’ve seen glimpses that things could be different here.
Regardless, Carroll must feel good that if Smith suffers another injury, he has a more than capable option in Lock, one where the Seahawks won’t miss a beat. And who knows where that could lead since this is the year for breakout backups in the NFL with Jake Browning and Gardner Minshew tearing it up in Cincinnati and Indianapolis and Tommy DeVito becoming a cult hero with the Giants.
It’s nice to know that the Seahawks have a Plan B at their disposal, one that could be just as good if not better than Plan A.
Jim Moore has covered Washington’s sports scene from every angle for multiple news outlets. You can find him on Twitter @cougsgo, and on KJR-FM 93.3, where he co-hosts a sports talk show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays.
This story was originally published December 19, 2023 at 10:12 AM.