Seahawks, Week 1 — What Repeats: Lock Hit All Eight Off the Fake

Drew Lock threw eight passes off a play fake on Wednesday night and completed all eight, for a hundred and 10 yards. His other 14 throws produced eight completions and 77 yards. Seattle ran play-action on 11 of its 27 dropbacks, 41 percent, the second-highest rate of any offense in the league this week behind the Jaguars, with the league median at 21. Across all of last season this offense ran it on 25 percent of dropbacks. And the box counts sit beside it. New England showed Seattle a light box — six or fewer defenders — on 19 of 20 designed runs, 95 percent, the second-highest share any run game saw in Week 1 behind the Packers, when this offense saw a light box on 54 percent of its designed runs last year. Seattle ran those 20 designed runs for 84 yards, and Lock completed every one of his eight throws off play-action. The Recap had the fourth-and-one to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the fourth quarter; the charting says eight of Lock's 22 throws came off a fake.

16 of his 22 throws were catchable, 73 percent. One of the 22 was interception-worthy — a ball a defender should have caught — and New England did not catch it. Three were contested, a receiver and a defender arriving together. No throwaways, no drops on his throws, no sacks charted as his fault, out of the pocket on three of his 23 dropbacks. His 2025 charting in this pack is three throws, so there is no useful comparison to him; the seat's numbers are the comparison, and Seattle's throws last season were catchable 71 percent of the time with an interception-worthy rate just under four. For the team, counting Sam Darnold's two throws, Seattle's 24 throws were catchable 71 percent of the time, seventeenth in the league this week and just under the median; the one interception-worthy ball in 24 is four percent, eighth-highest in the league on a small sample. Zero drops on 17 catchable balls, when this offense dropped 13 of 344 last year.

Now the defense, and the number that is furthest from last season. Seattle showed New England a light box on 10 of 25 designed runs — 40 percent. Across all of last season this defense showed opponents a light box on 74 percent of their designed runs, 271 of 368. So a defense that showed light boxes on nearly three runs in four last year loaded up on Wednesday, and New England ran 25 designed runs into it for 65 yards. The pass rush was closer to its old self: five or more rushers on 11 of New England's 42 dropbacks, 26 percent, eighteenth in the league this week and a shade under the median of 27, up from 22 percent last year. 4.3 rushers per dropback. None of the three sacks was charted as Drake Maye's fault.

What Maye's throws looked like against this defense is the other half. 24 of his 33 were catchable, 73 percent, when opponents throwing at Seattle last year were catchable 69 percent of the time, so he was not inaccurate. Six of the 33 were contested, 18 percent, against 13 percent for opponents last year. And three of the 33 were interception-worthy, nine percent, tied for the second-highest rate any offense posted this week; Seattle came away with three interceptions, and the charting does not say whether those were the same three balls. Opponents put four percent of their throws up for grabs against this defense last season. New England's receivers dropped one of 24 catchable balls. New England also ran six screens on 42 dropbacks, 14 percent, against eight percent for opponents last year, and Maye left the pocket on eight of his 36 dropbacks.

Motion on 28 of 67 charted plays, 42 percent, 20-third in the league this week, under the median of 45 and under this offense's 45 from last year. No run-pass options at all, against three percent of snaps last season; no-huddle on two percent of snaps against seven. New England sent five or more rushers at Seattle on 12 of 27 dropbacks, 44 percent — the fifth-highest share any defense sent this week, and well over the 32 percent this offense faced last year — and no sack was charted as the quarterback's fault.

The stat lines have settled, so here they are, scored half-PPR. Jaxon Smith-Njigba led everyone on the field with 22.2 — eight catches on 11 targets for a hundred 22 and the touchdown. Lock, 12.8: 16 of 22 for a hundred 87, one touchdown, no interceptions, two carries for 13. Jadarian Price 10 carries for 52 +2 catches for six, 6.8. Cooper Kupp two of three targets for 35, George Holani eight carries for 29, AJ Barner two of two for 13, Rashid Shaheed one of three for four. Darnold, one of two for 13 before he left. For New England, Rhamondre Stevenson had 18 carries for 51 five catches on six targets for 44, 12; Maye went 23 of 33 for a hundred 78 with one touchdown and the three interceptions, +7 carries for 47; Mack Hollins caught four of five for 51.

The show is called What Repeats, and after one game nothing has had the chance to. Every comparison above is to last season — a different roster, a year older, and at quarterback a different job from the third dropback on. That tells you what was unusual on Wednesday, which is a real thing to know, and it does not tell you what is true. The within-season version of this show, the one that measures Seattle against its own recent weeks, starts working around Week 4. Until then we say "last year" out loud every time.

The thread starts here. The Recap said what last year was: a defense second in the league in expected points allowed per play, an offense thirteenth, eighth through the air and 20-ninth on the ground. From the charting, three things go in the notebook. The play-action rate, 41 percent against 25, and whether it stays that high against a box that is not light. The defense's box count, 40 percent light against 74 last year, which is either a plan for one opponent or a new defense. And the quarterback's ball: one interception-worthy throw in 22, zero drops, from a passer who did not start the game. None of that is a verdict on this team.

That's your Seahawks — every game, by the numbers. This is Muffed: we do the same deep dive for all 32 teams. Follow the Seahawks show wherever you're listening, so next week's recap lands the moment it's out. No theater. Just the football.

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_Data via nflverse. Charting: FTN Data via nflverse._