In his first appearance at Seattle’s home stadium in a Seahawks uniform, former University of Missouri quarterback Drew Lock made an impact by throwing two touchdown passes, including a 19-yard strike to Jake Bobo late in the third quarter. The Seahawks secured a 24-13 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Thursday night’s preseason opener for both teams.
Geno Smith, the starting quarterback, observed from the sidelines along with most of the starters from both sides. Lock’s performance showcased his potential as a reliable backup for the Seahawks.
Seattle’s head coach Pete Carroll expressed the importance of Lock’s playing time, stating, “He needs to play football games. He sat around all last year. This formula of getting three quarters is just great for him.”
Lock completed 17 of 24 passes for a total of 191 yards. Despite his strong showing, he did experience one setback when a tipped pass was intercepted by Minnesota’s Jaylin Williams in the third quarter. Lock’s touchdown passes included a 13-yard toss to Easop Winston Jr. in the first half and the aforementioned 19-yard connection to Bobo in the third quarter.
Reflecting on his experience, Lock highlighted the joy of finally playing a snap in a Seahawks uniform at his home stadium, stating, “Never walked out there in a Seahawks uniform and played a snap. Had a blast. Overall, it felt great just to play football again. It’s weird when you go a whole year without taking a snap.”
In addition to Lock’s performance, Holton Ahlers, the third-string quarterback, contributed a 30-yard touchdown pass to Matt Landers in the fourth quarter.
On the Vikings’ side, Nick Mullens put up a solid first-half performance, strengthening his position as the backup for starting quarterback Kirk Cousins. Mullens completed 14 of 20 passes for 139 yards, including a 4-yard touchdown toss to tight end Nick Muse.
Only a limited number of starters played for both teams, allowing younger players and newcomers to take the spotlight. Despite early tackling challenges, the coaches were satisfied with the opportunity to evaluate and clean up areas for improvement.
The Seahawks are set to face the Dallas Cowboys on August 19, while the Vikings will host the Tennessee Titans on the same day.
