The Seahawks improved to 2-0 on Sunday with a dominant win over the Arizona Cardinals, and will hit the road again this week to take on the Washington Commanders. But before we turn our attention to that Week 3 NFC clash, it's time once again to open up the mailbag and answer some questions from you, the fans.

As always, thanks to everyone who asked questions this week, and apologies if I wasn't able to get to yours this time around. And remember, the mailbag is always open for submissions at Seahawks.com/mailbag.

From Instagram:

@adlers_writes asks, "What makes you guys such a good team?"

A: The overly simple answer would be to say good players and good coaching, both which the Seahawks have in a big way. But another key is the last word of that question: team. The Seahawks truly play as a team and are not the product of one or two superstars elevating an otherwise mediocre to good group. And don't get me wrong, championships have been won that way, especially if one of the truly great players is a quarterback; there's no shame winning that way. That's just now how this Seahawks team has gotten the job done.

There are less-tangible aspects to Seattle's team success, such as the connection and brotherhood the players frequently pointed to last season, but there are also more obvious examples. The Seahawks are 2-0 despite playing all but one series without their Pro Bowl starting quarterback, Sam Darnold, because they also have a great backup, Drew Lock, who isn't asked to do too much because he has a great team around him. They have one of the best defenses in the league, one that led the NFL in scoring defense last year, yet nobody had more than 7.0 sacks last season, and not a single player earned first-team All-Pro honors last season. In fact, receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the only first-team All-Pro on the 2025 team that went 14-3 in the regular season despite playing in the toughest division in the league, then went on to win the Super Bowl in dominant fashion. Yes, you can make a good argument there were some serious snubs in the voting, but that also demonstrates the overall quality of the team as a whole that it was so successful without multiple superstars.

@kellan.engel asks, "Why is JSN so good?"

A: How much time do you have?

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is so good because he does pretty much everything that position requires at an elite level. There are receivers who are good because they're great route runners or because they have incredible hands or because they're really big and/or fast. Both other than having the freakish physical traits—and don't let the draft profiles fool you, he is plenty fast—Smith-Njigba is so, so good at everything the job requires. He might be the best route-runner in the game, he's got great hands, he's tough, he's smart and understands what defenses are doing to try to stop him and the offense, and he's great after the catch. I'm probably leaving something out, but you get the point.

And speaking of JSN…

@hen_verd asks, "Which nickname is better: Emerald City Route Artist or the Silver Surfer?"

A: Definitely Silver Surfer. No contest.

@ovitorrocha asks, "Going to my first Hawks game ever at Lumen in November all the way from Texas, any tips?"

A: First off, be loud. Secondly, depending on where your seats are, probably bring a good rain jacket. If you haven't heard, it rains here sometimes, especially that time of year. Third, get out and enjoy a great city, have some seafood, maybe try a local brewery, and if the weather isn't too terrible, get out and enjoy some nature. Or, if it's a quick trip, just go to the game and be loud.

@alexglover560 asks, "When will the goat Sam Darnold return?" And @cole.hnatiw asks, "Is Darnold playing Week 3?"

A: I don't know about the goat version of Sam Darnold, but the human version of Darnold is making great progress, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald explained earlier this week, and may even be able to practice in some capacity. That wouldn't necessarily mean a Week 3 return, but it's definitely a good sign that he won't be out too long.

On a related note…

@topgradecollectible asks, "Is the smart play to let Sam rest and let Drew cook, or is Sam coming back next game?"

A: The Seahawks wouldn't rush Darnold back and risk further injury regardless of what was happening with Drew Lock, but the fact that Lock is playing so well certainly does make it that much easier to wait and make sure Darnold is fully healthy.

@hassan.1k2 asks, "Will there be a new Legion of Boom?"

A: No, this defense isn't interested in being a new version of the Legion of Boom. The players have a ton of respect for those Pete Carroll-era defenses, but they're not trying to be them. They want to be their own, unique version of a great Seahawks defense, not a sequel. That was the clear message from the team last year, and it's what ultimately led to them taking on a new nickname, The Dark Side.

@_teeter_ asks, "Best shadow boxer?"

A: We asked that question to players after a recent practice, and not surprisingly a lot of players went with themselves. Players getting votes from other teammates included Byron Murphy II and Devon Witherspoon.

@mollymiller778 asks, "Who was your favorite NFL player growing up?"

A: Growing up in Seattle, it would have to be Curt Warner and Steve Largent. The non-Seahawks favorite was definitely Randall Cunningham. He was such an electric player in his prime, and he should have won one, probably two, MVP awards for his play in the 1990 and 1998 seasons in particular.

@_mxntiii_ asks, "How does it feel to have the best mascot ever?????"

A: Hey look, we found Blitz's burner account.

@spinokhnsw asks, "Yo admin, can you book me a flight for Portugal to Seattle? Thanks."

A: Sure, send over your credit card info and we'll get on that.

@rukiy.b asks, "Can I get tickets to the next home game?"

A: Sure. See previous answer, or head to Seahawks.com/tickets.

@hudsonconboy asks, "What's the biggest misconception about the Seahawks marketing team?"

A: That the marketing team runs the social media accounts.

Sorry… Y'all are getting the extra snarky version of the mailbag today. Not sure what got into me.

@dray4laurent asks, "Can I get a happy birthday? I turned 17 today."

A: Sure, happy birthday, dray4laurent, hope it was great.

@j_mtz60 asks, "Who on the team would have the best hance of being a standup comedian?"

A: There are a lot of funny guys on the team, but I'd go with Bud Clark. He's got a good combination of personality and sense of humor that would work well on a stage. Grey Zabel would also be good if you prefer a drier sense of humor.

From Twitter/X:

@AydenLucas9 asks, "Drew Lock has overplayed expectations to an extent I didn't know was possible. Do we see him playing on another team next season as a starter?"

A: You're right that Drew Lock has been great in two games since taking over for Sam Darnold, and if he gets another start or two and continues to play at a high level, the conversation of "should he be a starter on another team" will surely come up, if they're not happening already. Lock has been a starter in the NFL, and as he said last week, he still badly wants to be one again at some point in his career. But a good backup is also really valuable, as the Seahawks, who are 2-0 with Lock leading the offense, can attest. So the Seahawks, who signed Lock to a two-year deal prior to last season, would surely love to have him back in 2027 should he be amenable to that. That being said, if Lock had an opportunity to start for another team, it would be hard to blame him for taking that shot.

From BlueSky:

@segdeha.com asks, "Am I alone in being happy for guys like Cody White and Kenneth Walker III finding success with their new teams? Solid dudes both. It didn't work out for them in Seattle, but I'm glad to see them thriving in their new digs."

A: No, you are definitely not alone in that. Sure, there are times fans might root against a player who left, maybe because he forced his way out by demanding a trade or something like that, but if a player leaves because he can make more money as a free agent with another team (Walker) or because he will get more opportunity to play on a different roster (White), then good for them. NFL careers are short, so I'll never fault a player for wanting to do what's best for him in the time he has in the league, especially if they're good guys about it, as Walker and White have been, by all accounts.

@tacos4eva.bsky.social asks, "Is Drew Lock the best backup QB in Seahawks history?"

A: OK first, a clarification, does Tacos4eva mean tacos forever, like, you love tacos and want them forever? Or is it Tacos for Eva, as in someone named Eva is getting some tacos? If it's the latter, I'm happy for Eva, tacos are delicious.

Anyway, I would say Drew Lock just put forth one of the best single-game performances by a backup QB in team history, but is he the best backup the team has had? That's tough to say, especially since he so far has had to play only two games. Had Darnold's injury been more serious—thankfully it isn't—leading to Lock starting a good chunk of the season, he could definitely make a strong case with more good performances. Pure talent wise, Lock has to be up there as well, but if we're talking overall body of work, it's tough to top Dave Krieg, who began his career as Jim Zorn's backup and ended up in the Seahawks Ring of Honor. A good case can also be made for Geno Smith, who after multiple years as a backup to Russell Wilson eventually stepped into a starting role and became a two-time Pro-Bowler.

Also, while his career never reached the levels of the players above, if we're talking backup QBs, we should probably give a shout out to Charlie Whitehurst, who started only four games as a Seahawk, winning just one, but that one victory was the final game of the 2010 regular season with the NFC West title on the line. Without a solid performance by Whitehurst in relief of an injured Matt Hasselbeck, we might not have gotten the Beast Quake.

@usschaoticdisaster.bsky.social asks, "What changes are being made to help increase scoring in the red zone?"

A: The team hasn't practiced yet since their last game, which did feature an empty trip deep in the red zone, so even if I wanted to tell you about changes being made this week, and I wouldn't, we haven't seen anything to give us that information. But you are not alone in your concerns about that, Macdonald mentioned it after the game as something to improve upon, so it will be a focus for the Seahawks this week and beyond.