National Football League

Backup QB Drew Lock plays the hero, Seahawks rediscover identity in upset of Eagles

Published Dec. 19, 2023 11:15 a.m. ET

Since Pete Carroll took over the Seattle Seahawks in 2010, the always-positive head coach has instilled hope in his players, even when things seem dire. The team needed that positivity more than ever during Seattle's first four-game losing streak during Carroll's tenure.

But on Monday night, the Seahawks got back on track in a big way with a 20-17 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

"We just kept playing, knowing that if we kept hanging in there, something good would happen," Carroll said. "We stuck with it, and sure enough, the plays just started happening."

The win improved Seattle's record to 7-7 overall, keeping its faint playoff hopes alive, while the Eagles dropped their third straight game and fell to 10-4 on the year.

On a night when Golden Tate — the hero of a fabled Seahawks victory on a Monday night 11 years ago when he made the "Fail Mary" catch against the Green Bay Packers — raised the 12th Man flag, Seattle found a way to get another victory.

Carroll improved to 8-0 against the Eagles and 4-0 at home.

Making his second start of the season in place of an injured Geno Smith, who is still dealing with a nagging groin issue, backup quarterback Drew Lock led the Seahawks on a surprising, come-from-behind drive with 1:52 left to play from Seattle's own 8-yard line.

Lock found big-play receiver DK Metcalf three times on pinpoint throws to get down the field for 18, six and 34 yards.

And then on third-and-10 from Philadelphia's 29-yard line, Lock connected with rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a go route in the back of the end zone for the game winner with 29 seconds left. The catch was Smith-Njigba's second game-winning reception as a pro.

The Seahawks targeted Eagles cornerback James Bradberry, who allowed five receptions for 100 receiving yards and a score on five targets, according to Next Gen Stats.

Locke finished 5-for-10 for 92 yards on the final drive. For the game, he completed 22-of-33 passes for 208 yards, with the touchdown to Smith-Njigba and no interceptions. He was sacked twice and posted a 94.0 passer rating.

"It's so hard to describe the feeling of not playing for so long, or at least what feels like a really long time to me," Lock said during an on-field interview after the game. "And then you sit there, and you watch games, and you wonder ‘Can I do this still?'

"I haven't been out there on the field. That's the human nature of it. You get back out there last week, and I'm like, ‘You know what? I'm the man still. I can go do this.' … The boys around me rallied tonight and gosh, it feels so good. I'm so proud of everybody."

Lock secured his fourth comeback victory as a pro and is now 1-1 as a starter for Seattle. He didn't know he was going to start until a few hours before game time, as Seattle had Smith active but determined he could not play after a pregame workout.

"Drew took most of the plays this week," Carroll said when asked about the process of determining his starting quarterback. "We tried to save Geno as much as we could, don't overexpose him because it's been such a short amount of time since the strain."

Carroll went on to say that Smith looked good in pregame warm-up and moved well, but the team made the call to hold him back and use him as an emergency quarterback. Carroll said Smith will get an extra week of healing and practice time to prove he's healthy enough to play at Tennessee on Sunday.

Lock, whom the Seahawks received as part of the Russell Wilson trade last year, seized his moment. And now Carroll will have a tough call to make this week — ride the hot hand in Lock or go back to his Pro Bowl quarterback in Smith?

For now, Carroll says that if Smith is healthy, he's the starter.

Dave Helman reacts to Seahawks' upset over Eagles

As well as Lock played in the clutch, Seattle's win was buoyed by Carroll getting back to his blueprint for success — riding the run game and a stout defense.

Second-year running back Ken Walker III finally looked healthy and had one of his best games of the year, finishing with 112 scrimmage yards and a score. Walker's 23-yard cutback run for a touchdown early in the second half ignited Seattle's offense. It was his first rushing touchdown since Week 6 and capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive to open the second half for the Seahawks, tying the game at 10-all with 10:13 left in the third quarter.

Defensively, Seattle struggled early, allowing an ailing Jalen Hurts to march the Eagles down the field for a 7-0 lead to start the game. However, the Seahawks bowed up after that, holding the Eagles to 321 total yards and 17 points. Philly's offense averages 26 points a game.

Safety Julian Love made the biggest play, corralling his second interception of the game on a deep ball intended for A.J. Brown with six seconds left, tapping his toes in bounds for the catch and an improbable victory for the Seahawks.

Carroll will have to conjure up some more magic next week against the Titans for Seattle to stay in the playoff conversation.

But don't count the Seahawks out.

"This is the fourth quarter of this thing," Carroll said. "And it's not just words. There's a mentality about finishing. And we kicked this thing off exactly right tonight. I'm excited about our chances, and those guys are, too. They know."

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.