Drew Lock reveals why Week 9 start against Cardinals means so much more

Eight years into an NFL career filled with twists and turns, Drew Lock has developed an appreciation for every opportunity under center. 

Once Denver's future, now Seattle's opportunity

Selected 42nd overall by the Denver Broncos in 2019, Lock arrived with significant pedigree after a standout career at the University of Missouri, where he took over as the Tigers' starter midway through his true freshman campaign and threw 99 touchdown passes in 46 starts. 

Lock's career serves as a reminder of how quickly fortunes can change for young quarterbacks in the NFL. By 2021, he was no longer the Broncos' starter.

"I’m sitting here today, and I get to go be the starting quarterback this weekend for the Seattle Seahawks," Lock said, via The Athletic's Andrew Destin. "Eight years in, two kids, a wife — I don’t know. It’s just something (that) if you asked me ten years ago if I’m going to be a starting quarterback for a team on a Sunday with two kids and a wife, it’s pretty amazing." 

From his beginnings as a second-round pick in Denver to stints with the Giants and two stints now with the Seahawks, the veteran quarterback knows starts can never be taken for granted.

Drew Lock's best start of the season came against Arizona

For a quarterback stepping back into the starting role, drawing a familiar opponent certainly doesn't hurt.

In Week 2, Lock started in the 31-7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, throwing for 235 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-26 passing. Jaxon Smith-Njigba went nuclear for 155 receiving yards on 11 targets and caught all three of Lock's touchdowns. 

The numbers suggest no receiver means more to the Seahawks' passing game than Smith-Njigba. 

According to data shared by fantasy football analyst Ian Hartitz, Seattle quarterbacks have produced a staggering 140.2 passer rating when targeting Smith-Njigba this season.

The balanced offensive approach proved effective. The Seahawks logged 40 rushing attempts for 162 yards, preventing Arizona from teeing off on obvious passing downs and allowing Seattle to dictate the flow of the game. 

The contrast becomes even more striking when looking at the rest of Seattle's passing attack. When targeting anyone other than Smith-Njigba, Seahawks quarterbacks have generated a passer rating of just 75.5 in 2026, a figure that ranks near the bottom of the league and sits only marginally above the Colts' 75.4 mark. 

The 29-year-old quarterback is on track to start for the Seahawks for a fourth time, and second this season when Arizona visits Seattle this Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.

"There's obviously a little bit of an adjustment, but I'm comfortable with what Drew likes and what he's comfortable executing, particularly against this defense," offensive coordinator Brian Fleury told the Seahawks official team website, via John Boyle. "Luckily, this is something we've been through before. It was easy to put the plan together once we got the news he was going to be the starter.

"It gives the entire coaching staff and everybody out there a lot of confidence," Fleury continued. "We know that he's done it at a high level against this particular opponent, and he can handle everything they're going to throw at us, so we feel great going into this game."