Seattle Seahawks' Pete Carroll 'Proud' of QB Drew Lock; Starting Again vs. Philadelphia Eagles?

Seattle Seahawks' Drew Lock stepped in for the injured Geno Smith against the San Francisco 49ers and Pete Carroll has revealed a "great sign" he saw from his backup.

The Seattle Seahawks knew they had a tough assignment when they took on the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14, but that was made more difficult, or so we thought, by the absence of quarterback Geno Smith, who was dealing with a groin injury.

Enter Drew Lock.

The Seahawks under Lock gave as good as they got. At the end of the third quarter in Santa Clara, they were only down 21-16, and were well within range of winning.

While Seattle couldn't finish the deal as Lock was intercepted twice in the fourth quarter chasing the game, head coach Pete Carroll liked what he saw from his backup quarterback.

“He needed to be in this situation [vs. 49ers] with our uniform and playing for us and all of that," Carroll said. "He’s had games in the past, but it’s been a while. To come back, I don’t know how he would’ve been more prepared mentally to take this challenge on just judging by how he responded, how he handled it, how he communicated, how he handled the huddle and all of the calls and the situations, and the adjustments on the sidelines and halftime. He was a real pro about it. That’s a great sign, and he’s been preparing for this, and he came through in that regard. It’s a good moment for him and it is very valuable for him. I saw him a couple of times take the big breath, kind of the sigh, and okay, ‘Here we go.’ He was ready. I was proud of him.”

Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock played well against the 49ers last Sunday and Pete Carroll liked what he saw from his backup / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Lock would end his day completing 22 of his 31 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, so he wasn't out of his depth by any stretch. It is also important to remember that he was going against what some call the best defense in the NFL and held his own.

Now, attention turns to the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, and with question marks over whether Smith can go due to his groin injury, it would mark Lock's second consecutive start.

However, Smith was in full pads at Thursday's practice and said he feels "really good." The expectation is that returns against the Eagles on Monday night.

With the Seahawks on the outside looking in on the playoff spots, they need to start winning games. The Eagles are coming off back-to-back blowout losses and walk into Lumen Field vulnerable.

With Smith likely back at the controls, can the Seahawks pull off an upset win and keep their season alive?

'Very Poised!' Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll Expects QB Drew Lock to be 'Mentally Prepared' to Start Against Eagles on Monday Night