The Seattle Seahawks opened the 2026 NFL season the same way they ended the last one: finding a way to beat the New England Patriots. It was not pretty, comfortable or remotely predictable. Seattle lost starting quarterback Sam Darnold on its first possession, spent most of the night fighting through penalties and entered the fourth quarter without a touchdown.
None of it stopped the defending Super Bowl champions from escaping Lumen Field with a 13-10 victory.
Seattle erased a 10-point deficit behind Drew Lock, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and a defense that intercepted Drake Maye on each of New England’s final three possessions. The result extended the Seahawks’ winning streak to 11 games when the 2025 postseason is included and gave Seattle another victory over the franchise it defeated in Super Bowl LX.
That February win carried the emotional weight of more than a decade of unfinished business. As Respect My Region covered in its Super Bowl LX Seahawks versus Patriots recap, Seattle controlled that championship game through defense, special teams and situational execution.
Seven months later, those same qualities rescued the Seahawks when almost everything else went wrong.
Sam Darnold’s Injury Immediately Changed the Game
Seattle’s championship celebration quickly turned into concern.
After the Super Bowl LX banner was raised at Lumen Field, Darnold suffered a hip injury while being sacked by former Seahawks defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones on Seattle’s opening drive. Darnold left for the medical tent and did not return.
That put Lock into the game with first-time offensive play caller Brian Fleury operating an offense that had not planned on using its backup quarterback five plays into the season.
Lock entered under difficult circumstances and initially struggled to create consistent movement. Seattle remained scoreless through the first half, while penalties repeatedly erased opportunities or extended New England possessions.
The Patriots scored the game’s first touchdown after Josh Jobe was flagged for pass interference against A.J. Brown on a deep flea-flicker attempt. Maye found rookie tight end Eli Raridon for a two-yard touchdown on the following play, giving New England a 7-0 advantage.
Another Seattle penalty helped the Patriots add to that lead in the third quarter. Chazz Surratt was called for roughing the punter, allowing New England to retain possession and eventually set up a 50-yard field goal from Andy Borregales.
The Seahawks were suddenly down 10-0 in a game where their offense had shown few signs of breaking through.
Drew Lock Kept Seattle Within Reach
Lock deserves credit for refusing to let the game drift away.
Seattle finally found some offensive rhythm late in the third quarter when Lock connected with Cooper Kupp for 24 yards along the sideline. Kupp later appeared to score on a seven-yard reception, but the touchdown was erased by an illegal-shift penalty.
Jason Myers salvaged the possession with a 30-yard field goal, cutting New England’s advantage to 10-3.
That drive did not completely fix Seattle’s offense, but it changed the feel of the game. The Seahawks were finally on the board, their defense was keeping the Patriots within one possession and the crowd had a reason to believe something could still happen.
Lock finished 16-of-22 for 187 yards, one touchdown and a 113.3 passer rating. According to the Seahawks’ official statistical breakdown, it was his best passer rating in a Seattle uniform. (seahawks.com)
Those numbers become even more impressive when placed in context. Lock had attempted only three passes during the entire 2025 season. He entered Wednesday night with almost no warning and was asked to rescue the defending champions on national television.
He did enough to make sure Seattle’s defense had a chance to finish the job.
Seattle’s Defense Took Over the Fourth Quarter
The game changed when Maye finally tried to attack Seattle downfield.
Early in the fourth quarter, Rodney Thomas II challenged Romeo Doubs at the catch point and helped break up a deep throw. Nehemiah Pritchett tracked the deflection, secured the interception and returned it 30 yards.
Five plays later, Seattle faced fourth-and-one.
Lock used play action and delivered a short pass to Smith-Njigba. What looked like a simple conversion turned into the biggest offensive play of the night. Smith-Njigba accelerated into open space and finished a 45-yard touchdown that tied the game at 10.
It was the type of play Seattle needed from its best offensive weapon. Smith-Njigba finished with eight receptions for 122 yards and the touchdown, once again showing that he can take over a game without requiring a traditional deep ball.
New England’s next possession ended the same way as the previous one.
Maye attempted another pass over the middle, this time looking for DeMario Douglas. Julian Love read the throw, stepped in front of the receiver and recorded Seattle’s second interception of the quarter.
The Seahawks converted that turnover into a 26-yard Myers field goal, taking their first lead at 13-10 with less than six minutes remaining.
Seattle’s defense had turned a 10-point deficit into a three-point lead, but New England still had one final opportunity.
Josh Jobe Sealed the Win in the End Zone
The Patriots’ final drive nearly changed the ending.
Maye converted fourth-and-two with a five-yard run and later found Mack Hollins for 11 yards on fourth-and-nine. Those plays moved New England well inside Borregales’ field-goal range and created a realistic opportunity to force overtime.
Instead of protecting the ball and settling for the potential tie, Maye tried to win the game.
On third-and-five, he attempted to throw the ball toward Hollins in the end zone while under pressure. The pass was underthrown, giving Jobe an opportunity to recover after being involved in the penalty that helped produce New England’s first touchdown.
Jobe located the ball, made the interception and controlled his feet inside the boundary with 21 seconds remaining.
The play completed one of the strangest fourth-quarter collapses Maye has experienced. He finished 23-of-33 for 178 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, with all three turnovers occurring on New England’s final three possessions.
As The Associated Press reported in its game recap, Maye later described his decision on the final interception as unacceptable. (AP News)
Seattle will happily accept it.
The Dark Side Remains Seattle’s Foundation
Seattle’s defense allowed only 277 total yards, recorded nine tackles for loss and held New England to 10 points. The Seahawks are now 14-0 under Mike Macdonald when they win the turnover battle, including postseason games. (seahawks.com)
Those numbers explain why Seattle never completely lost control of the night.
The offense struggled. Darnold was injured. Penalties directly contributed to all 10 New England points and erased a Seattle touchdown. Two defensive starters, Nick Emmanwori and Ty Okada, were unavailable.
The Seahawks still found enough answers.
Pritchett, Love and Jobe produced the interceptions. Ernest Jones IV finished with 13 tackles. Michael Dickson placed three punts inside the New England 20, while Charles Cross did not allow a pressure across 27 pass-blocking snaps.
This was not the type of performance Seattle will want to repeat every week. The penalties must be cleaned up, the offense must start faster and Darnold’s health will remain the biggest immediate concern.
But Week 1 also revealed something important about the 2026 Seahawks.
Their margin for error may be larger than it appears because they can win in different ways. When the offense could not carry the game, the defense created three extra possessions. When the starting quarterback went down, Lock stayed composed. When Seattle finally needed one explosive play, Smith-Njigba delivered it.
The Seahawks did not look dominant against the Patriots.
They looked resilient—and on opening night, that was enough.
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Meta description: Drew Lock, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Seattle’s defense powered the Seahawks to a 13-10 comeback win over the Patriots in the 2026 NFL opener.
