Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock didn’t get the usual preparation before suddenly being asked to run the offense in the team’s season opener.
So Lock has developed another way to get his repetitions: He keeps a whiteboard next to his bed.
That unusual routine took on considerably more significance Wednesday night after Sam Darnold suffered a hip injury on Seattle’s opening possession against the New England Patriots. Lock entered with almost no work alongside the Seahawks’ starting skill players that week, then helped Seattle rally for a 13-10 victory.
“Literally drawing,” Lock told reporters when asked how he keeps himself prepared as a backup. “Whiteboard. I’ve got one next to my bed. I’ll do it at night. I’ll do it in the morning.”
Lock said he draws the plays because he can’t physically rep all of them during the practice week.
“That’s just kind of been my thing, being able to visualize it so that when I read it out, it’s just there in my head,” Lock said.
That preparation became particularly important after Darnold was ruled out with a hip injury. Lock finished 16-of-22 for 187 yards and a touchdown as Seattle erased a 10-point deficit and won its opener.
Cooper Kupp Reveals What Drew Lock Did Without Practice Reps
Cooper Kupp offered perhaps the strongest evidence of why Lock’s performance mattered.
“He did a phenomenal job,” Kupp told reporters. “Took basically no reps with any of the guys that were out there all week.”
Kupp said Lock compensates by investing extra time away from the normal first-team work.
“You’ve seen the onus that he puts on himself to be ready though when the time comes,” Kupp said, pointing to Lock’s additional work on the field and with Seattle’s coaches.
The Seahawks needed all of it on one of the game’s defining snaps.
Facing fourth-and-short, Seattle called a pass that Lock said he didn’t believe he had ever actually run in practice. Before the snap, he recognized that New England appeared poorly positioned to account for Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Smith-Njigba was supposed to be the third read.
That didn’t matter.
“When 11’s just standing there, you got to give him the pill,” Lock said.
Smith-Njigba turned the completion into a 45-yard touchdown that pulled Seattle even, one of the pivotal plays in the comeback.
Kupp said Lock also changed the protection before the snap, another layer to a play that illustrated exactly what all those mental repetitions were designed to accomplish.
Seahawks Make Their Confidence in Drew Lock Clear
Mike Macdonald wasn’t subtle afterward.
“Drew Lock deserves a gigantic shout out for playing clean football,” Macdonald told reporters.
When asked about his confidence in the veteran quarterback, Macdonald joked that Lock should have received a game ball and might get “a belt” instead.
“We love Drew,” Macdonald said. “Guys love him. He’s just a Seahawk through and through.”
Smith-Njigba described Lock as “very confident” in the huddle and called him a playmaker who “demands the huddle.” Safety Julian Love went even further, saying teammates have called Lock “the best two in the NFL for years.”
That confidence could become more important depending on Darnold’s recovery.
Seattle announced during the game that Darnold would not return because of the hip injury. Initial testing reportedly ruled out a fracture, though further evaluation was expected.
Lock, meanwhile, sounded like a quarterback whose approach has changed since his earlier starting opportunities.
He said playing behind Seattle’s defense has helped him understand that he doesn’t need to force the issue downfield.
“Let’s find ways to get the ball in our guys’ hands,” Lock said. “Having the mindset of taking care of the football, getting it in our guy’s hands, you got the best defense in the world in my opinion.”
For most backup quarterbacks, preparation happens without any guarantee it will ever become visible on Sunday.
For Lock, the drawings on the whiteboard beside his bed suddenly mattered in Week 1.
Seahawks Make Strong Drew Lock Statement After Sam Darnold Injury