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Drew Lock connects for 3 TDs with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks roll past Cardinals 31-7

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Cite

Brandt, D. (2026, September 21). Drew Lock connects for 3 TDs with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks roll past Cardinals 31-7. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/football/drew-lock-connects-for-3-tds-with-jaxon-smith-njigba-seahawks-roll-past-cardinals-31-7/article_4227647b-706e-5cb9-9be9-1d6603c41ee6.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-09-21 · by David Brandt

Quick Summary

Drew Lock led the Seattle Seahawks to a 31-7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, throwing for 235 yards and three touchdowns to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. This was Lock's first start since December 2024 after Sam Darnold’s injury. The Seahawks won their tenth consecutive game against the Cardinals, extending a dominant streak that began in 2022. Smith-Njigba set career highs with nine receptions for 155 yards and three touchdowns.
Written by AI on 2026-09-21, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

On Sunday, September 20, the Seattle Seahawks faced the Arizona Cardinals in a Week 2 NFC West showdown at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The game saw Seattle's Drew Lock perform impressively after Sam Darnold was ruled out due to injury, throwing for 235 yards and three touchdowns to Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the Seahawks won 31-7. Despite a strong start by Arizona, who had stunned the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, they struggled in the second half, managing only 150 total yards and dropping their record to 1-1. The loss extended the Cardinals' losing streak against Seattle to an astonishing 10 games, dating back to 2022, highlighting the Seahawks’ dominance over their division rivals.

Written for “Seahawks vs Cardinals Game Updates” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Seahawks vs Cardinals Game Updates
Sports · 5 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
New York Post
Hedges 1 of 16 claims Outlet record 66/100
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 23 claims Outlet record 64/100
New York Post
Hedges 0 of 22 claims Outlet record 66/100
Toronto Star
Hedges 0 of 39 claims Outlet record 64/100
“The articles describe two different games between the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals on consecutive Sundays, not the same specific incident.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
24
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 24 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
5
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-21 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Toronto Star · 11094 article(s) · 28 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 28 correction(s)
2026-10-26
Correction
2026-10-24
Correction
2026-10-07
Correction
2026-09-24
Correction

Who wrote this

David Brandt
29 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 The idea is that making outfielders play straight up — instead of adjusting for individual hitters’ tendencies — will lead to more doubles and triples.
🔮 Now the Broncos hope quarterback Bo Nix and the rest of the offense will start producing so they can truly become one of the league’s elite.
🔮 ” The Cardinals might have found a recipe for future defensive success with their gameplan against the Rams, dialing up an aggressive approach that featured lots of blitz packages.
🔮 Now Larson heads to a track where he’s had consistent success — even though he views Phoenix Raceway with more trepidation than one might expect.
🔮 Just days after Ishbia bought the Suns for $4 billion in 2023, the organization dealt for Durant in a blockbuster trade that the owner hoped would lead to a championship.
🔮 “The recently unsealed documents demonstrate two unfortunate, but unsurprising, realities,” attorney Michael J. Willemin wrote in a statement.
🔮 It’s fair to wonder if others in the organization could soon be following the former No. 4 overall pick out the door.
🔮 Arizona Cardinals receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will be inactive for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, a person with knowledge of the situation said Saturday, as trade rumors swirl around the former No. 4 overall pick.
🔮 LaFleur said Johnson (biceps) would have surgery soon so he can begin the recovery process.
🔮 First-year coach Mike LaFleur said Monday that Johnson would have surgery soon so he can begin his recovery.
Also by David Brandt
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 29 articles by David Brandt →

Topics

Arizona Cardinals GLENDALE Seahawks Seattle

Subjects

Cardinals ORG · 5× Seahawks ORG · 5× Arizona GPE · 3× Lock PERSON · 3× Seattle GPE · 3× Brissett PERSON · 2× Smith-Njigba PERSON · 2× Ariz. GPE · 1× Drew Lock PERSON · 1× GLENDALE GPE · 1×

Narrative

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Drew Lock threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns to Jaxon Smith-Njigba in a stellar first start subbing for the injured Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks continued their dominance over the Arizona Cardinals with a 31-7 win on Sunday.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-21
🔮 The Cardinals (1-1) opened the season with an impressive 26-14 road win over the Chargers in first-year coach Mike LaFleur’s debut, but couldn’t recreate that success against the talented Seahawks defense.

Claims (24 extracted, 0 hedged)

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Drew Lock threw for 235 yards and three touchdowns to Jaxon Smith-Njigba in a stellar first start subbing for the injured Sam Darnold and the Seattle Seahawks continued their dominance over the Arizona Cardinals with a 31-7 win on Sunday. asserted
Seahawks → throw → Sunday
The defending Super Bowl champions have now won 10 straight over their NFC West rival dating to 2022 and closed this one by scoring the final 24 points. asserted
champions → defend → points
Smith-Njigba finished with nine catches for 155 yards and the career-high three TDs in one of the best performances of his four-year career. asserted
Njigba → finish → career
Arizona has lost eight straight games at home in a streak that’s lasted 360 days. asserted
that → lose → streak
The Cardinals finished with just 150 total yards. asserted
Cardinals → finish → yards
Lock got off to a good start, taking advantage of a busted coverage by the Cardinals’ secondary and hitting a wide open Smith-Njigba in stride for an 82-yard touchdown on the team’s second offensive play of the game for a 7-0 lead. asserted
Lock → get → lead
Early in the third quarter, he found the reigning AP Offensive Player of the Year on a crossing route for a 7-yard score and a 14-7 advantage. asserted
he → find → score
That Seattle touchdown was set up by some good fortune on the opening kickoff of the second half. asserted
touchdown → set → half
Rashid Shaheed fumbled on the return, but teammate Chazz Surratt picked up the ball and ran 35 yards all the way to the Arizona 37. asserted
Surratt → fumble → 37
Seattle safety Julian Love intercepted Jacoby Brissett on the ensuing drive, making a spectacular sliding catch as he got his hand under the ball just before it hit the ground. asserted
it → intercept → ground
It gave the Seahawks (2-0) great field position again at the Arizona 44, which they parlayed into Jason Myers’ 33-yard field goal and a 17-7 lead. asserted
they → give → goal
Smith-Njigba’s third touchdown came early in the fourth quarter when Lock threw a perfectly placed ball for a 12-yard strike and a 24-7 lead. asserted
Lock → come → strike
The Cardinals (1-1) opened the season with an impressive 26-14 road win over the Chargers in first-year coach Mike LaFleur’s debut, but couldn’t recreate that success against the talented Seahawks defense. asserted
Cardinals → open → defense
Brissett threw a 2-yard touchdown to All-Pro tight end Trey McBride to tie the game at 7-all on the first play of the second quarter. asserted
Brissett → throw → quarter
Seattle had a chance to retake the lead late in the second quarter but couldn’t ram the ball into the end zone from the 1-yard line on fourth down. asserted
Seattle → have → down
The game stayed tied going into halftime, but it was all Seahawks after the break. asserted
it → stay → break
Brissett threw for 95 yards, one touchdown and one interception. asserted
Brissett → throw → yards
Rookie Jeremiyah Love led the team with 29 yards rushing and McBride caught eight passes for 41 yards. asserted
McBride → lead → yards
Lock made his first start since the final week of the 2024 season, taking over for Darnold, who suffered a glute injury in the opener against New England. asserted
who → make → England
The 29-year-old played most of that game and performed well, completing 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. asserted
old → play → yards
DL Brandon Pili was evaluated for a concussion. asserted
Pili → evaluate → concussion
RB Jadarian Price left in the second half with a chest injury. asserted
Price → leave → injury
Cardinals: CB Max Melton left in the third quarter with a toe injury. asserted
Melton → leave → injury
CB Will Johnson left with a neck injury in the fourth quarter. asserted
Johnson → leave → quarter
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