Five plays into the 2026 regular season, Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback Sam Darnold left the game against the New England Patriots with a hip injury and was later ruled out. Eighth-year quarterback Drew Lock took over for Darnold, marking his first extended NFL action in the regular season since 2024.After an unsteady start, Lock played well in the second half to lead the Seahawks to a 13-10 comeback win. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown and finished with a passer rating of 113.3. The biggest throw was a 45-yard touchdown to Jaxon Smith-Njigba that tied the game early in the fourth quarter.Perhaps the biggest stat for Lock? Zero turnovers. He said that was his emphasis when he was called into action.“I know what kind of a defense we have,” Lock said in an on-air postgame interview on NBC. “I know the playmakers that we have on this side of the ball. If I take care of the football, get it in their hands, don’t turn it over, win the turnover battle by the end of the game, I’d like to think we have a pretty good shot of winning. And sure enough, 13-10.”Can Seattle Seahawks survive a Sam Darnold absence? Robert Mays and Derrik KlassenAfter the game, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said the team received “great news” on Darnold’s injury in that he does not have a fracture in his hip. More testing will be required and the full extent of his injury is not yet known, meaning Lock could be back in action in Week 2 on the road against the Arizona Cardinals.If Lock starts next week, it would be his first since 2024 with the New York Giants. He appeared in just five games last season as the Seahawks’ backup and attempted only three passes, completing two. However, before last season, Lock had started at least two games in five of his first six NFL seasons.Lock entered the league out of Missouri in 2019 as a second-round pick of the Denver Broncos, a team still trying to find its way in the post-Peyton Manning era. He injured his thumb just before the start of his rookie season, landing on injured reserve. He returned in late November and started five games for the Broncos, going 4-1. Lock’s biggest showing as a starting quarterback came in 2020, his second NFL season, when he started 13 games. However, the team wasn’t nearly as successful, going 4-9 with him under center.Since 2021, Lock has been a backup. He began the 2021 season backing up Teddy Bridgewater in Denver, starting three games in relief. He was traded to the Seahawks in 2022 and backed up Geno Smith. He started two games for the Seahawks in 2023, going 1-1. He signed as a backup with the Giants in 2024 and started five games, going 1-4. He returned to the Seahawks in free agency last year and backed up Darnold.Lock played in 41 NFL games before Wednesday. He has a 10-18 record as a starter and has completed just under 60 percent of his passes, tossing 35 touchdowns to 28 interceptions.Lock’s two starts for Seattle in 2023 came while Smith dealt with a groin injury. The second of those was a Week 15 home game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Seahawks entered the game with a 6-7 record and their playoff hopes dwindling. With less than two minutes left in regulation, the Seahawks trailed by 4 points. Lock led the offense on a 10-play, 92-yard drive, culminating in a touchdown pass to Smith-Njigba. Smith returned the following week as the starter.The following season, Lock had his best statistical performance of his career in a start for the Giants. Lock threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns, resulting in a near-perfect 155.3 passer rating. He added a fifth touchdown on the ground as the Giants beat the Indianapolis Colts 45-33 in Week 17.As the backup entering this season, Lock received a decent amount of playing time in the preseason. In the exhibition opener against the Dallas Cowboys, Lock completed nine of his 13 pass attempts for 40 yards and a touchdown. In the second game against the Tennessee Titans, Lock completed 12 of 14 passes and threw a touchdown pass.