Drew Lock and Noah Fant connect on huge play, in Seahawks uniforms

If you closed your eyes, you might have thought you were in Houston four years ago.

It was then and there that Drew Lock and Noah Fant connected on a 48-yard catch-and-run down the right sideline that offered what Broncos fans felt was a hint of good times to come. It was one then-rookie to another. And blocking on the play was another 2019 draft pick, guard Dalton Risner. A picture of the trio went viral among Broncos fans.

Of course, it never really got better from that day. By 2021, Lock was the No. 2 quarterback behind Teddy Bridgewater. A year later, both were gone.

But on Monday night, a little of that old magic returned when Lock stepped in for Geno Smith and immediately led the Seahawks to a touchdown — with 51 of the 75 yards on the drive coming when Lock hit Fant on the right flank for a 51-yard connection, leading to a touchdown run one play later.

GO NOAH GO!

📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/Cams94EoBm

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 3, 2023

Lock’s time on the field ended at halftime, as Smith returned for the second half. Lock went 2-for-5 for 63 yards in his brief work, which was his first regular-season action since Jan. 8, 2022, when he started for Denver in a 28-24 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

One day later, the Broncos fired coach Vic Fangio. And two months after that, Lock’s time with the Broncos ended.

DREW LOCK AND NOAH FANT WERE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BIG TRADE

Both Drew Lock and Noah Fant were part of the haul acquired by the Seahawks in exchange for Russell Wilson in March 2022. Lock did not play a snap last year, working behind Smith. Fant has 583 yards and 4 touchdowns on 58 receptions since joining the Seahawks. Seattle picked up his fifth-year option, keeping him on the roster for 2023.

Since the trade, Seattle is 11-9 in regular-season games. That is the exact same record as they had in Wilson’s final 20 starts with the team. But all of those post-Wilson starts came with Smith, who was a Pro Bowler last year in a revival season.

***

Related

Broncos lose Mims to foot injury on first seriesMarvin Mims can’t become a star receiver in DenverProjecting the Broncos’ 53-player roster: Difficult decisions loomThe Packers loss gave Vance Joseph exactly what he’s been waiting forSean Payton dunks on lazy analysis about Broncos QB Bo NixDespite ankle injury, Bo Nix is at his best when he moves around