Seahawks Survive Super Bowl Rematch, Rally Past Patriots 13-10 in NFL Season Opener
The NFL season kicked off Wednesday night in Seattle with a rematch of last February's Super Bowl LX, and the Seahawks made sure the ending felt familiar, rallying past the Patriots 13-10 at Lumen Field behind a dominant fourth-quarter defensive stand.
The night began with pomp: Seattle unveiled its Super Bowl LX championship banner in a pregame ceremony, and the crowd got a hometown-heavy entertainment lineup featuring Luke Bryan, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, and Soundgarden as part of the NFL Kickoff Game festivities.
Darnold and Brown Injured
The game itself turned early, and not in Seattle's favor at first. Starting quarterback Sam Darnold left with a hip injury on the Seahawks' opening drive, forcing backup Drew Lock into relief. Lock struggled to find rhythm for most of the night but delivered when it mattered most, capping a go-ahead drive with a 45-yard touchdown strike to Jaxon Smith-Njigba on fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter.
New England, playing without All-Pro addition A.J. Brown for the final stretch after he suffered a right ankle injury in the third quarter, saw its own second-half hopes unravel through the air. Quarterback Drake Maye was picked off three times in the fourth quarter alone, as Seattle's secondary took over the game. Cornerback Josh Jobe delivered the knockout blow, coming up with a toe-tapping interception in the end zone on New England's final drive to seal the win.
Seattle was already playing shorthanded on defense, with safety Nick Emmanwori inactive with an ankle issue, but the unit didn't miss a beat when it counted, clamping down after New England had taken a 10-point lead into the second half.
Three Interceptions by Maye
For New England, it's a rough start to a season with real expectations after the Patriots added Brown and Romeo Doubs to a receiving corps built around reigning MVP-runner-up Drake Maye. Maye's three fourth-quarter interceptions will be the headline as the Patriots look to regroup heading into Week 2.
For Seattle, it's the kind of gritty, injury-riddled win that championship teams point to later in the season — a defense that tightened up when its starting quarterback went down, and a backup who delivered the biggest throw of the night. The result also marked just the third time a Super Bowl rematch has kicked off the following season's Week 1 slate, the first since 2016.
Both teams now turn the page to Week 2, with New England looking to shake off three second-half turnovers and Seattle looking to build on a season-opening statement in front of its home crowd.
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