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GLENDALE, ARIZONA – SEPTEMBER 20: Jaxon Smith-Njigba #11 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates with Drew Lock #2 after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter of the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on September 20, 2026 in (Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks are 2-0 with their starting quarterback playing a total of five snaps in two games. That’s a very good place for the Seahawks to be after a 31-7 romp over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba somehow looks even better than he was last year when he won NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors, and Seattle’s defense allowed one play of 10 yards in 47 offensive snaps by the Cardinals.
Throw in positive news that Sam Darnold could be expected to return to action sooner than initially believed and it’s been a terrific start to the 2026 campaign for the defending Super Bowl champs.
Here are the takeaways from Seattle’s 31-7 win over Arizona.
Drew Lock plays great, buys time for an improving Sam Darnold
Though you never want to lose your starting quarterback, the aftermath of Sam Darnold’s gluteus injury has gone about as well as the Seahawks could have possibly hoped.
Drew Lock has been fantastic for Seattle in nearly two full games of action since replacing Darnold after the first series of the season-opening win against the New England Patriots. Lock completed 19-of-26 passes for 235 yards with three touchdown passes to Smith-Njigba while throwing no interceptions and being sacked just once against the Cardinals on Sunday.
For the season, Lock is now 35-of-48 for 422 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers in wins over the Patriots and Cardinals for Seattle.
“Awesome. Felt really good,” Lock said. “Yeah, it was a complete game, I’d say, from both sides of the ball, special teams as well.”
Outside of one throw that Christian Gonzalez was unable to hold onto against New England, Lock hasn’t come close to putting the ball in jeopardy and has made some really big throws for Seattle. The last two touchdown passes to Smith-Njigba against Arizona were pinpoint throws in the red zone with fairly tight coverage from Cardinals’ defenders.
“Drew, he’s a special talent and sees the field very well and can make any throw,” Smith-Njigba said. “And I know he’s looking for me, and I just want to be there for him. And we’ve been having a special connection for a minute now.”
Lock’s play has helped give Seattle the flexibility to not rush Darnold back into action. The Seahawks are set to play the Washington Commanders next week, who may have lost quarterback Jayden Daniels for a while due to a dislocated elbow. Starting guard Sam Cosmi also left the game late for Washington after taking a severe blow to the head. An 0-2 team with a backup quarterback in Marcus Mariota isn’t the situation to rush Darnold back into the lineup.
However, head coach Mike Macdonald did say that Darnold is progressing faster than initially believed and could practice this week.
“We’re optimistic. We’ll see. I mean I think there’s a chance that he comes back and practices at some point (this week),” he said.
“The timetable has shifted quite drastically, frankly.”
With Lock playing so well, the Seahawks can take their time to ensure that Darnold is fully healthy and ready to return to action without forcing him into a game earlier than they should.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba somehow looks even better in 2026.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba set Seattle’s franchise record book on fire last season, delivering the best receiving season in Seahawks history with 119 receptions for 1,793 yards with 10 touchdowns. The receptions and yards were easily the most ever for a Seattle receiver, surpassing his own record of 100 receptions (shared with Tyler Lockett) and DK Metcalf’s 1,303 yards.
Through two games this season, Smith-Njigba is leading the NFL in receiving again. He has 17 catches for 277 yards and four touchdowns through two weeks. While it’s obviously very early in the season, that’s a 2,354-yard pace over 17 games for Smith-Njigba. Calvin Johnson holds the NFL record with 1,964 yards in 2012 for the Detroit Lions.
“That’s the beauty of playing with him,” Lock said of Smith-Njigba. “He’s gonna find ways to get open. It might not be the most like conventional, but that’s what makes him a ball player, and that’s what makes him one of the best receivers. Offensive player of the year last year. That’s just what he is, what he does, man. It’s so fun to play with.”Â
Smith-Njigba is just the seventh different receiver in team history to have three receiving touchdowns in a single game, joining Steve Largent, Daryl Turner, Joey Galloway, Doug Baldwin, Lockett and Metcalf. Turner is the only Seattle player with four receiving touchdowns in a game, scoring four against the San Diego Chargers in 1985.
Smith-Njigba’s 82-yard touchdown on the first passing attempt of the game is now tied for the fourth-longest receiving touchdown in Seahawks history.
90 yards – Seneca Wallace to Koren Robinson, 90-yard touchdown against Philadelphia in 2008.87 yards – Matt Hasselbeck to Ben Obomanu, 87-yard touchdown against Kansas City in 2010.84 yards – Geno Smith to DK Metcalf, 84-yard touchdown against New Orleans in 2021.82 yards – Jim Zorn to David Sims, 82-yard touchdown against Cincinnati in 1977. Rodney Thomas II making a case to remain starting safety.
Remember when there was real concern about the state of Seattle’s safety position entering Week 1?
Well, never mind!
Thomas has played two really strong games in place of an injured Ty Okada in the back of Seattle’s defense. He made a couple standout plays against New England last week, and was invisible – in a good way – against the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. Thomas picked up a pass defended on a near-interception that he was unable to haul in, but it was his only statistical contribution of the game.
However, the Cardinals did not complete a single pass longer than nine yards in the entire game against Seattle’s defense. According to Theo Mackie of the Arizona Republic, it was the first time since Oct. 11, 1987 that the Cardinals failed to complete a single pass of at least 10 yards in a game. That particular game was played with replacement players during a strike-affected season.
Against New England, Thomas tipped a pass intended for Romeo Doubs that became an interception for Nehemiah Pritchett, and made a really strong tackle in the flat replacing a blitzing Devon Witherspoon. Thomas has 33 career starts between Seattle and the Indianapolis Colts and certainly appears capable of handling the job if asked.
Okada played great for Seattle last season and hasn’t been able to play yet in the first two games due to a hamstring strain. Either way, the concern about the safety position for the Seahawks appears far less pressing than before the season began.
The Source: Information in this story comes from FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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