Seahawks' Drew Lock on Geno Smith: 'I Appreciate Him More Than Words Can Describe'

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock had high praise for Geno Smith, who missed his second straight game with a groin injury, in the aftermath of Monday's 20-17 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Lock told reporters he appreciates Smith "more than words can describe."

Lock led the Seahawks to a surprise victory by engineering a 10-play, 92-yard drive that started with 1:52 remaining. His touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 28 seconds left to play proved to be the difference.

Speaking to ESPN's Lisa Salters on the field immediately after the game, Lock was emotional about what the moment meant to him.

Before that final drive, Smith gave Lock words of encouragement that Lock shared during his postgame press conference.

There was some uncertainty about who was going to start the game right up until kickoff. Smith went through warmups and was active, but Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll kept him as the backup just in case of an injury to Lock.

Monday night was the first time Lock won as a starting quarterback since Week 14 of the 2020 season when he was with the Denver Broncos. This is the first time he's started multiple games in a season since 2021.

The Seahawks acquired Lock from the Broncos in March 2022 as part of the Russell Wilson trade. He was in contention to be the team's starter last preseason before Smith won the job.

In addition to Lock's big moment in the spotlight, beating the Eagles was a potential season-saving win for the Seahawks. They came into the game with a 6-7 record and had lost four straight games.

Getting back to the .500 mark moves the Seahawks into a four-way tie with the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints in the NFC playoff standings. The Vikings and Rams currently own the final two wild-card spots.

The Seahawks have a favorable schedule over the final three weeks with games against the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals.