Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba Scouts 'Tough' Sam Darnold Injury

As for starting a new season, the Seattle Seahawks had perhaps the worst start: in the opener against the New England Patriots, Sam Darnold went down with a hip injury after just five plays.

It took until nearly halftime before Darnold was ruled out, so Drew Lock had to step in, as he has done so many times, to steer the Seahawks' ship against a stout New England defense.

Going 16-of-22 for 187 yards and a touchdown, Lock more than did his job as after a tough start in which the offense didn't score until the third quarter, they found their groove in the fourth, scoring 10 points.

The 13-10 win won't live long in the memory as a Week 1 encounter, but the Seahawks got what they came for.

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But the Darnold injury was a big sour note.

"It's tough losing 14," Smith-Njigba said. "I mean, he's the head of the snake, but we have each other's backs. We fully trust in Drew Lock to come in and do his thing, [he's] done it time and time again. So, we just have to have each other's back and I'm just super proud of everybody."

The initial prognosis for Darnold is good, and although he is expected to miss Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals, his hip injury isn't expected to keep him out long-term, which is a positive.

What is also a positive is having a veteran backup like Lock.

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Someone who can come in, and keep the ship afloat until Darnold returns.

Whether that is in two weeks or a month, after what he produced against a Mikel Vrabel defense, Mike Macdonald and Brian Fleury will like Lock's chances of playing bus driver against nearly anyone—especially with the defense playing as well as it did.

A Week 1 win was the only item on the menu for Seattle, and yes, the Darnold injury wasn't good, but they got a slice of luck there, and Lock, well, he proved just how valuable a dependable backup quarterback is in NFL football. 

There is a reason some teams covet a veteran backup so much, and on opening night, you saw exactly why the Seahawks are thrilled to have Lock on their roster.