Drew Lock is him. At the very least, Seattle Seahawks fans believe this after what we saw from the veteran journeyman against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.
Down 17-13 at home against the defending NFC Champion Eagles at home Monday night, Lock and his Seahawks took over at their own eight-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
With Geno Smith active and on the bench due to injury, Seattle needed the best drive of its season in order to preserve the team’s playoff aspirations. They had lost four consecutive heading in and were 6-7 on the campaign.
That’s when Drew Lock stunned an unsuspecting national television audience and those on hand inside Lumen Field.
Things started out shaky with Lock nearly throwing a couple interceptions. But when Seattle needed it the most, Lock stepped up and showed us why he was an early-round pick of the Denver Broncos out of Missouri in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Lock hit DK Metcalf for 34 yards on 3rd-and-10 from its own 37-yard line with under a minute left.
First off, that’s great ball placement from Lock in between two Eagles defenders. Secondly, what an absolutely amazing catch from Metcalf in the clutch. He had been held to just four receptions for 40 yards prior to that catch.
Facing 3rd-and-10 a few plays later with 28 seconds remaining and the ball at Philadelphia’s 29-yard line, and Lock hit rookie Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the go-ahead 29-yard touchdown. It was an absolutely brilliant catch from the first-round pick. We’re not kidding.
Just a clutch pass from Lock and an equally huge reception from the rookie out of Ohio State.
Losers of two consecutive games heading into Monday night, Philadelphia had a chance to tie the game on its final possession. That’s when Seahawks defensive back Julian Love picked off Jalen Hurts for a second time to ice this one.
Acquired as an afterthought in the Russell Wilson blockbuster trade to Denver ahead of last season, this is a career-defining win for Lock. He started in Smith’s stead last week against the San Francisco 49ers, throwing two interceptions in an ugly loss.
With a full week of first-team reps, Lock looked much more comfortable in leading Seattle to its biggest win of the 2023 NFL season.
By virtue of this win, Seattle moves to 7-7 on the season. It is now tied with the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, and New Orleans Saints in vying for the final two playoff spots in the NFC heading into Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans.
Related: Who’s going to the playoffs? Ranking the chances of AFC ‘bubble’ teams after Week 15
NFL world reacts to Drew Lock leading Seattle Seahawks to legendary comeback
No one in their right mind saw this performance coming from Lock. He had started only four games since the end of the 2020 season prior to Monday night. That resulted in four losses with the Missouri product throwing a combined five interceptions.
For his part, Lock was extremely emotional in his post-game interview. If this doesn’t give you chills, we’re not sure what will.
Not only was Lock seen as a journeyman heading into this game, no one expected him to do enough to lead the Seahawks to a huge win over the mighty Eagles. Remember, this was also a must win for Philadelphia as it attempted to remain alive for the No. 1 seed in the NFC Playoffs.
The team now finds itself down one game to San Francisco and having lost the tiebreaker to the 49ers. With all of that as a backdrop, Lock led the Seahawks to a 92-yard game-winning touchdown with their season pretty much on the line. Insane stuff from Drew Lock.