We may be seeing a changing of the guard in the Seattle Seahawks quarterback battle. On Tuesday, it was Drew Lock who took first-team snaps of Geno Smith. According Seattle weatherthis is the first time we’ve seen Lock as QB1 in all of training camp.
The Seahawks played their first preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday night, losing 32-25. It was Lock who won the night when it came to Seattle’s quarterback battle, as he completed 11 of 15 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns, while Smith completed 10 of 15 passes for 101. yards – but also rushed for a touchdown.
Smith played the first half, where Seattle scored 10 total points, and Lock played the second half, where the Seahawks scored 15 total points. However, all was not well for the former Denver Bronco, as Lock was sacked late in the fourth quarter when the game was tied, which ultimately led to the Steelers scoring the game-winning touchdown. Still, he seemed to add something more to the offense when he was in it.
Smith had long been the leader in the quarterback battle, as he has been in the Seahawks organization longer and has better command on offense. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll praised both callers and was asked earlier this month what Lock needed to do to win the competition.
“Just stay out there,” Carroll said, via Pro Football Talk. “He just needs to stay out there and show us how he’s going to make his decisions when the big opportunities come around. He’s made a ton of plays already. He’s made a ton of good throws, he runs really well, he’s elusive, he’s got a really quick trigger, his ability to unleash the football is showing, he’s got a lot of talent now so we just need repetitions we need turns we just need to see more situations to really finding a reason to see a difference between the guys. There just isn’t enough of it yet.
It should be noted that Lock taking first-team snaps for the first time on Tuesday might not mean much, as Carroll could switch things up just to see how his quarterbacks react.