Lumen Field (Seattle) – The Seattle Seahawks avoided the pain of a loss on the night they unfurled their Super Bowl LX banner, scoring 13 unanswered points in the second half to defeat the visiting New England Patriots 13-10 in a Super Bowl rematch.
The Seahawks struggled to contain quarterback Drake Maye and the Patriots early. However, Seattle’s stout defense, built by head coach Mike Macdonald, showed up in the second half, helping the Seahawks start the season 1-0 on the year, while Mike Vrabel and the Patriots fell to 0-1.
Here are my suggestions:
1. WTF, Drake Maye? Seahawks Darkside Defense Coaxes Nightmare Performance From Pats QB
Things got off to a good start for Maye, as Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels provided good answers to the Seahawks’ defensive pressure. Patriots left tackle Will Campbell did a much better job of protecting his quarterback in pass coverage than he did in Super Bowl LX, too, giving New England a chance to win.
That all changed in the fourth quarter, however, as Maye threw interceptions on back-to-back drives that led to 10 points for the Seahawks, swinging the game in Seattle’s favor and serving as a catalyst for Seattle’s comeback win.
The interceptions did not end there for Maye either. After Maye got the Patriots down to the Seahawks’ 16-yard line with less than 30 seconds left, he threw his third interception of the game on a terrible throw. He tried to force a pass to Mack Hollins along the side of the end zone, but Seahawks linebacker Josh Jobe made a tremendous toe pick to seal the win for the Seahawks.
With the layoff, Maye now has 11 tackles in his last five games. He threw that many picks in the 17-game regular season in 2025, as his only multi-interception games since the start of last year came against the Seahawks.
Additionally, Maye has already thrown more interceptions on deep balls this season than he did last season. He threw just one interception on passes of at least 20 yards last season, but had two interceptions on such passes Wednesday night, according to Future General Stats.
Seattle’s defense finished with three sacks, nine tackles for loss and six pass breakups, playing at the elite level it did last season.
2. If Darnold’s hamstring injury is serious, Lock offers Seahawks glimmer of hope
Just like that, Seattle’s push to repeat as Super Bowl champions took a major hit when Sam Darnold suffered a hamstring injury and did not return. The USC product suffered the injury on the second drive of the game when he tried to get out of the pocket on third-and-five but was sacked by Patriots linebacker Dre’Mont Jones for a 5-yard loss.
Darnold limped to the locker room for further evaluation and did not return. Backup Drew Lock replaced Darnold. While Lock is an experienced backup who knows Seattle’s offensive system, Darnold is the starter for a reason. And if he’s out for an extended period, Seattle’s chances of staying within striking distance in the ultra-competitive NFC West will be an uphill climb.
However, Lock led the Seahawks to a come-from-behind victory in the second half, completing 16-of-22 passes for 187 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions for a 113.3 passer rating. It was enough to at least show some confidence in Lock in the short term, as the Seahawks wait to find out if they will be without Darnold for the long term.
3. Need a big game? Jaxon Smith-Njigba to the rescue
The offensive player of the year showed why he is the highest paid receiver in the league. Facing a fourth-and-short and trailing 10-3 early in the fourth quarter, Lock found Smith-Njigba on a short pass up the middle of the field, and the Ohio State product returned it for a 45-yard touchdown to tie the game.
Smith-Njigba finished with seven receptions for 111 yards on eight targets. His teammate Cooper Kupp also made an acrobatic catch earlier in the series, setting up a 30-yard field goal by Jason Myers.
3 ½. What’s next
The Seahawks will look to continue the momentum when they hit the road against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. However, their focus over the next few days will be whether Darnold’s injury is severe enough to force him to miss more time.
Meanwhile, the Patriots will look to bounce back from their season-opening loss when they host Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.
