Sometimes a five-touchdown, three-interception game can create a thriller, especially if it results in a win. Just ask Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, who threw for almost 500 yards and had that exact touchdown-to-interception ratio against the Tennessee Titans a week ago. The Bengals won in overtime.
Other times, though, a clean, low-scoring win may not be as exciting, but a better feel-good experience, which is what the Seattle Seahawks' Drew Lock must be feeling on Monday after leading the Seattle Seahawks to a division win over the Arizona Cardinals over the weekend, 17-3. Nothing splashy, nothing overall exciting, just a solid win.
Thanks to their defense, the Seahawks didn't require a massive offensive explosion, just a clean game from their quarterback. This brings us to Sam Darnold, who hasn't played a single clean game this season yet, and back to Lock, who has played clean in every game he's been in. Lock's performance against the Cardinals resulted in something Seattle's offense hasn't done since Week 1.
Drew Lock keeps the turnovers locked away in the Seattle Seahawks win over the Arizona Cardinals
For those Seahawks fans clamouring for a quarterback change, they're unlikely to get their wishes, even if there's merit to their clamouring. When it comes down to it, Lock has simply played significantly better than Darnold this season. To go deeper, Lock has excelled at what Darnold has struggled with: turnovers.
In seven games this season, Darnold has nine turnovers. Unlike last season, though, all of his turnovers this season have been interceptions, and he hasn't lost any fumbles. However, his interception rate this year is on pace to far outdo last year's. Furthermore, Darnold isn't just throwing one pick per game; in three games this season, he's thrown two.
What about Lock? Well, he had zero turnovers against the Cardinals, and he's had zero turnovers in every game he's played this season. Seattle hasn't played a turnover-free game since their Week 1 win over the New England Patriots. Seattle lost Darnold to injury early in that game, and Lock finished the job.
The Seahawks are a top-five turnover team this season, and that's largely why their offense under Darnold has struggled, not to mention the numerous fumbles by their running backs. Lock, however, came in on Sunday and avoided costly mistakes, which was the key to the game.
He was steady, efficient, and locked in from the beginning with 175 passing yards, one touchdown, and a 96.6 passer rating. Lock didn't put up numbers like Darnold is capable of doing week after week, but Lock did what Darnold has failed to do, and it's put the Seahawks in jeopardy of losing more games than they have.
How many more games Seattle plays from here on out without turnovers remains to be seen. Unfortunately, the harder question may be: when will Darnold return?
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