The Seattle Seahawks survived a close one. It wasn't easy: it definitely wasn't pretty, and it wasn't as planned, but the only thing that matters is that the record shows 1-0. Now, they have 11 days to think about the Arizona Cardinals.
Sam Darnold suffered a hip injury five plays into the season, and he was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game. That's never encouraging, and it looked like the Super Bowl banner unveiling party was going to end in disaster.
Then, when it mattered the most, the defense made some plays, flipped the field, and Drew Lock got the job done. Considering that, let's jump to some conclusions from watching the Seahawks' QB2 get the W at home.
4 quick-hitters from Seattle Seahawks QB Drew Lock's Week 1 performance
Brian Fleury deserves some credit
It's hard to assess Brian Fleury's performance, given the circumstances. He lost his starting quarterback one drive into the game, and the first half was, for lack of a better word, an ugly watch. Then, he flicked the switch.
It was more by necessity than by design, but he slowly gave Lock a longer leash once he got into a rhythm. He opened up the playbook a bit, including a beautiful call that led to Jaxon Smith-Njigba's big touchdown on fourth down.
The jury is still out on Fleury, and that will continue to be the case all year, but there were some glimpses here. The defense got stops, but we have to give credit where it's due, and he made some nice adjustments.
Jadarian Price needs to get the rock
This might sound a bit contradictory, but it's not necessarily a shot at Fleury. But after getting just a handful of touches in his first taste of NFL action, it became crystal clear that Jadarian Price must be the featured back.
George Holani is a fine player, and he did a solid job in this game, but you have a first-round rookie looking like a star out there. Price averaged seven yards per carry in the first half, yet he only got a handful of touches.
Again, it's easy to understand this approach. He didn't play in the preseason, and they wanted to ease him into action. That said, the explosiveness is clearly there, and there's no need to spoon-feed him: Unleash him.
Drew Lock might be just fine
Drew Lock looked understandably shaken and rusty at first. He played in the preseason, but he threw a grand total of three passes in the 2025 season. It was a sloppy operation overall, both from him and the offensive line at first.
Then, Lock showed some teeth. He took ownership of the offense as he got his legs back under him, keeping the offense ahead of the sticks, finding Cooper Kupp with a beautiful throw (and an even better catch!), and taking more risks — some unnecessary, but still.
Lock is by no means a starting-caliber player, but that's fine. There's still no word on the extent of Darnold's injury, but he just proved that he can be trusted to win some games as a backup, and he did so against a very good defense.
Sam Darnold is the man
Not to rain on Drew Lock's parade, and again, he deserves all the credit in the world for pulling this one off. But if this game showed something, it is that Sam Darnold is much more important than he gets credit for (shocker).
The Seahawks had no business being shut down at home in the first half. With the way the defense performed and how crisp and shifty Smith-Njigba looked when targeted, this could've been an utter blowout from start to finish.
That's an encouraging sign for the defending champions and yet another vindication of their quarterback. Likewise, it's also a big concern if Darnold's absence proves to be lengthy. This can be a season-defining injury.
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