newsweek
Sam Darnold's absence from the Seattle Seahawks' lineup may not be the setback many assume, according to one NFL analyst. With Darnold sidelined by a quad injury for Sunday's divisional matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, the Seahawks will start Drew Lock at quarterback. Former Dallas Cowboys signal-caller Ben DiNucci raised the possibility that the change could actually benefit Seattle's offense.
"I hate to say this: Drew Lock might give the Seahawks a better chance to win at the quarterback position," DiNucci remarked during an appearance on CBS Sports' Just Football. Darnold, who guided Seattle to a Super Bowl title last season, has struggled in the current campaign, tossing nine interceptions across seven games while his passer rating has fallen from 99.1 to 79.5.
Lock, meanwhile, has delivered in limited action. He orchestrated a season-opening comeback victory off the bench and later turned in an impressive road performance against Arizona. DiNucci implied that another strong outing against the NFC West rival could ignite a quarterback controversy.
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DiNucci elaborated on Darnold's difficulties: "Sam Darnold has not played well this year. For whatever reason, he's turning the ball over. This offense looks stuck in the mud." He continued, "I don't want to say this is a soft benching, but Drew Lock -- when he came in relief Week 1 against the New England Patriots -- led that team back. Played really well. High completion percentage, no turnovers. And then Week 2, followed it up against the same Arizona Cardinals team he's gonna play this [week] with 235 yards and three touchdowns."
"I'm very intrigued to see what Drew Lock does this weekend," DiNucci added. "If he plays like he played the first two weeks of the season, I think this is gonna be a very interesting topic the rest of the season."
Originally reported by newsweek.