GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Seattle Seahawks didn’t win despite Drew Lock.

They won, in part, because of their “backup quarterback.”

That’s something many Seahawks fans would have said even a week ago, after Lock relieved injured starter Sam Darnold and erased a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat the reigning AFC champion New England Patriots. And it’s something the white-flag-waving fans streaming out of State Farm Stadium early Sunday were also witness to, after a 29-year-old making his first start in nearly two years torched their team.

In a convincing 31-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Lock completed 19 of 26 passes (73.1%) and threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover. That includes 24 unanswered second-half points for a Seahawks team that has won 12 straight games overall and 10 straight against Arizona.

“He can make any throw,” said Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who knows that better than anyone. “He’s just a ballplayer and a playmaker.”

This ballplayer and playmaker’s performance was even better than the statistics make it seem.

The stats don’t reflect Lock’s remarkable second-quarter escape — when he ducked out of a sack on third-and-12, rolled left and ripped a picturesque pass that was dropped by wide receiver Rashid Shaheed. Rather than moving the chains inside field-goal territory, the Seahawks punted instead.

The stats don’t capture degree of difficulty. But on third-and-7 in the second half, Lock stood in the pocket, absorbed a blow from blitzing linebacker Jack Gibbens and located Smith-Njigba for a 9-yard gain. Lock also capitalized on a Julian Love interception by threading a dime between defenders to tight end Elijah Arroyo for 17 more yards.

The stats don’t account for adversity. But with a running game that repeatedly stalled in the red zone, an injury to Anthony Bradford that forced a right-guard rotation, a Jadarian Price first-half fumble that flipped possession, a Price injury that further thinned the running-back room, etc., it wasn’t always easy. Lock couldn’t be a game manager when it mattered most.

“I thought he was aggressive when he needed to be and took care of the ball when he needed to,” Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “He just did a great job.”

The stats don’t understand swagger. On Sunday, Lock had swagger in spades. After each of his three touchdowns to Smith-Njigba, the quarterback bounced to Seattle’s sideline, a finger in the air, a leaping fist pump ready to be released.

“Man, Drew’s a gunslinger. Everybody in this building just rocks with Drew so heavy,” said Love, who tallied two pass breakups and three tackles to go with the interception. “He’s smart, and he has a swagger to him that’s fun to see.”

This is not a quarterback competition or controversy. Actually, the opposite. Lock credited Darnold for preparing him to succeed Sunday. Following a Thursday walk-through that focused on blitz pickups and protections, Lock admitted, “I was swimming a little bit.

“I just went up to him after and said, ‘Sam, can you meet me upstairs and talk me through some of these protections some more?’ I came to the media with you all, ran from the (podium) up there as he’s waiting and went through it, and it drastically helped.”

Lock is better because of Darnold, and vice versa. On Sunday, the Seahawks surrendered a single sack and committed just three penalties.

Sunday’s slate — which included injuries to standout quarterbacks Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears) and Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders), losses that preceded larger losses — also underscored the importance of a capable backup quarterback.

Lock is better than capable. He’s also better than some of the starters in this league.

“In my career, I’ve been in those shoes before,” Love said of teams that suffer without their starter. “But nothing is missed (with Lock instead of Darnold). There’s no step where we feel like, ‘Oh man, we’ve got to do more on defense.’ No, just play our game. Drew is going to be fine. We’ve got killers on offense. It’s how we’re built.”

On Sunday, Cardinals fans waved white towels with three red words — BUILT TO LAST — printed in bold.

They waved white towels and then white flags.

Because the Seahawks were built to withstand injury and adversity. Because Seattle’s defense unsurprisingly dominated, surrendering just 151 total yards. Because Lock is a lot of things — ballplayer, playmaker, gunslinger, etc. — but a liability isn’t one of them.

At least, not anymore.

“Having the emotional maturity from where I was those three years in Denver (2019-21), to where we are now, I’m absolutely a different person. I’m a father to two babies. I lost my father in the last year. You feel yourself grow up off the field, and me personally, I can feel myself grow on the football field from it and become a man.”

When Darnold is ready to return, which could be as soon as next Sunday at Washington, he’ll be the Seahawks' starting quarterback — as he should be.

But the Seahawks can win games because of two quarterbacks. That’s not something many teams in the NFL can say.

____

© 2026 The Seattle Times. Visit www.seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.