A look at the past 5 backup QBs to start for the Seahawks

With Sam Darnold sidelined by a glute injury, backup quarterback Drew Lock is set to start the Seattle Seahawks’ Week 2 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

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It will mark just the sixth time over the past 15 seasons that a backup quarterback has started a game for Seattle. Prior to that long run of good health under center, the Seahawks had a combined 19 backup QB starts from 2008-11.

Before Lock takes the field on Sunday, here’s a look back at the past five backup quarterbacks who have made a fill-in start for Seattle.

Drew Lock (2023)

Lock went 1-1 while filling in for Geno Smith late in the 2023 season, highlighted by his late-game heroics in a primetime win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 15. Lock led the Seahawks on a 10-play, 92-yard drive in the closing minutes, capped by a go-ahead 29-yard touchdown passes to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 28 seconds left that gave Seattle a 20-17 victory. Lock finished the game 22-of-33 passing for 208 yards, one TD and no interceptions. One week prior, Lock went 22 of 31 for 269 yards, two TDs and two picks in a 28-16 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Lock to JSN for the lead!#ProBowlVote + @jaxon_smith1#ProBowlVote + @DrewLock23 pic.twitter.com/g26fYIaCdD

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 19, 2023

Geno Smith (2021)

Russell Wilson started 158 of 161 possible regular-season games during his decade-long tenure with the Seahawks. The only three he didn’t start came in 2021, when he was sidelined with a broken finger for Weeks 6-8. Geno Smith filled in and went 1-2 during that stretch, while completing 70.5% of his passes for 571 yards, four TDs and no interceptions. Smith and the Seahawks suffered a pair of narrow losses in the first two games – a 23-20 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and a 13-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints – before routing the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-7.

Charlie Whitehurst (2010, 2011)

Whitehurst went 1-1 while filling in for Matt Hasselbeck in 2010 and 0-2 while filling in for Tarvaris Jackson in 2011. Over those four starts, Whitehurst completed just 52.1% of his passes for 454 yards, two TDs and three interceptions. However, the lone victory was an important one. It came in the 2010 regular-season finale, which was a winner-take-all, de facto NFC West title game between the 6-9 Seahawks and the 7-8 St. Louis Rams. Whitehurst went 22 of 36 for 192 yards, a TD and no picks, helping the Seahawks to a 16-6 win that punched their ticket to the playoffs. The following week, Hasselbeck returned and Marshawn Lynch delivered his iconic “Beast Quake” run in Seattle’s stunning wild-card round upset of the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

Seneca Wallace (2006, 2008, 2009)

Wallace made 14 fill-in starts for Hasselbeck between 2006 and 2009. He went 5-9 in those starts – 2-2 in 2006, 3-5 in 2008 and 0-2 in 2009. Over those 14 games, Wallace completed 60.1% of his passes for 2,817 yards, 21 TDs and nine interceptions, while rushing for 207 yards and a score.

Charlie Frye (2008)

With Hasselbeck and Wallace both sidelined by injuries, Frye started a 27-17 loss to the Packers in Week 6 of 2008. He had a rough outing, completing just 12 of 23 passes for 83 yards, two TDs and two picks.

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