There are few football players as on top of the world right now as Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock. In only his second start of the season, Lock led the Seahawks on a 92-yard drive that ended with the game-winning touchdown with 28 seconds left to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles, 20-17.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Seattle and a seven-game losing streak for Lock who had not won a game he started since Week 14 of the 2020 season. His late-game heroics were met with a smile from another QB who struggled to win games early in his career, Seahawks starter Geno Smith.

Smith, though active for the game, was sidelined for the second straight week with a groin injury. He was right there to support Lock though and the bond showed with a shared celebration after Jaxon Smith-Njigba's go-ahead touchdown.

Lock reflected on the type of relationship he and Smith have after the game, calling the elder Smith an “unsung hero” over the last two weeks.

“It was so cool that when roles flipped and I was going to go be the starter he did the same thing for me that I was trying to do for him,” Lock said, via Brandon Gustafson. “That’s just an unselfish dude in there. I just appreciate him more than words can describe.”

Seahawks sticking together

Geno Smith, Seahawks

Seattle could have very easily thrown in the towel and called it a season amid Smith's injury and a fourth consecutive loss in Week 14. Instead, the Seahawks decided to rally around their backup QB and fight for their playoff lives and it worked for them, at least for one week.

The relationship between starter and backup can go a long way, especially at the quarterback position. The rapport between Geno Smith and Drew Lock seems to be one coaches dream of having among players at the most important position in football.

The pair have shared a close bond since they battled it out for Seattle's starting job during training camp in 2022. They didn’t let their profession get in the way of their budding relationship and it's now turned into a sort of gold for the Seahawks as Lock takes over the starting duties for a bit.

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GM John Schneider in the middle, Kris Jenkins, Cooper Beebe, Cedric Gray around him, and Seattle Seahawks wallpaper in the background

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A blank silhouette/outline of a person with the logo for the Seattle Seahawks in the middle. On either side of the silhouette/outline are University of Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell and University of Georgia tackle Amarius Mims.

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Former Mike Macdonald and Geno Smith mentor Pete Carroll with John Schneider

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Even though Smith wasn’t on the field, he was right in Lock's ear before the final drive and dished out some much-needed encouragement before Seattle took the field at its own eight-yard line.

“(Geno was) Talking to me before that 2-minute (drill), ‘You’re the best player on this field. You’re going to lead us down this field right now. Go get it done,'” Lock said. “Just things like that. It’s really cool.”

Football is a much easier sport to play when you're feeling loose. Drew Lock looked pretty loose on that final drive and it's easy to see why when he is so close to Geno Smith. Both Seahawks quarterbacks have faced plenty of adversity in their NFL careers but have turned around their public perceptions.

Their resilience could be the reason why the Seahawks are still playing after Week 18.