The opened their Super Bowl title defense the hard way. After raising the Super Bowl LX banner at Lumen Field on Wednesday, they lost starting quarterback on the first series, fell behind 10-0, then stole a 13-10 win over the when Drake Maye threw three fourth-quarter interceptions.
Sam Darnold lasted five snaps. On third down of Seattle’s first possession, Dre’Mont Jones sacked him near midfield. Darnold left with a right hip injury, walked to the medical tent, and did not return. Drew Lock replaced him and finished 16 of 22 for 187 yards and one touchdown.
Lock’s brief after the game was straightforward. “I know what kind of defense we have,” he said. “If I take care of the football, get it in their hands, don’t turn it over, win the turnover battle by the end of the game, I’d like to think we’d have a pretty good shot of winning. Sure enough, 13-10.”
Seattle’s offense produced little through three quarters. An illegal-shift penalty wiped out a touchdown to Cooper Kupp, leaving Jason Myers to kick a field goal that made the score 10-3. Rookie Jadarian Price led a committee backfield with 52 yards on 10 carries. Zach Charbonnet began the season on the physically unable to perform list.
New England Patriots looked the more composed side for most of the first three quarters. found rookie tight end Eli Raridon for a 2-yard touchdown, the first score of the 2026 season. A field goal extended the lead to 10-0.
The collapse was sudden. Maye threw interceptions on New England’s final three possessions. Nehemiah Pritchett took a tipped deep ball intended for Romeo Doubs. On the ensuing drive, facing fourth-and-1 from the Patriots’ 45, Seattle passed rather than run. Lock hit , who turned a short catch into a 45-yard touchdown. Smith-Njigba finished with eight receptions for 122 yards. “We knew coming in, it was going to be a four-quarter game, and that’s who we are,” he said. “We’re going to keep fighting until the clock hits triple zero.”
Julian Love intercepted Maye on the next series. Myers’ 26-yard field goal with 5:50 remaining put Seattle in front 13-10. With 26 seconds left and New England at the Seattle 16, in range for a tying kick. Maye threw toward Mack Hollins in the end zone. Josh Jobe completed a toe-tap interception to close the game.
, New England’s principal offseason addition, left in the third quarter with a right ankle injury and did not return. Without him, Doubs dropped a first-down throw and was the target on the first interception. Mike Vrabel said afterwards the club has “nothing but the utmost confidence” in Maye.
Mike Macdonald described the first tests on Darnold as “great news.” “At this point, we were able to rule out a fracture,” he said. “So, there’s some more tests to be done … but right now I think fracture is out, which is great news.” Darnold was taken to Harborview Medical Center for a CT scan, with an MRI scheduled for Thursday. Macdonald also credited the dressing room for staying on plan: “I want to give our team a lot of credit because you know things weren’t really going where we wanted. We didn’t panic.”
Seattle Seahawks will travel to Arizona on Sunday, 20 September. New England will assess Brown’s ankle and a fourth-quarter performance that repeated last February’s problems against the same defence.
