Seattle lost Sam Darnold on its opening possession and fell behind by 10 points before Drew Lock and the defense brought the defending champions back. The Seahawks beat the New England Patriots 13-10 at Lumen Field on Wednesday, September 9, opening the NFL season with a win that remained in doubt until the final seconds. [1]
Lock replaced Darnold on Seattle’s second possession and completed 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown without an interception. His 45-yard scoring pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba on fourth-and-one cut New England’s lead to one in the fourth quarter before Jason Myers’ extra point tied the game at 10. Myers later supplied the winning points with a 26-yard field goal. [2]
Josh Jobe protected that lead by intercepting Drake Maye in the end zone on New England’s final possession. It was Seattle’s third interception of the fourth quarter, following takeaways by Nehemiah Pritchett and Julian Love. [2]
Lock’s preparation meets an early test
Darnold’s injury changed the assignment for Brian Fleury, Seattle’s offensive coordinator and a first-time NFL playcaller. Head coach Mike Macdonald credited Fleury with adjusting while praising the backup quarterback’s management of the offense. [3]
“Drew Lock deserves a gigantic shoutout for playing clean football,” Macdonald said in his postgame remarks. [3]
The offense did not find its rhythm immediately. Seattle punted on its first four possessions, reached halftime without scoring and punted again on its first series of the second half. New England extended its lead to 10-0 before the Seahawks began their comeback. [2]
Lock’s preparation helped him handle a play he said he had not practiced: the fourth-down touchdown. Smith-Njigba was his third read, but Lock recognized the opening and delivered the pass that turned a short-yardage decision into Seattle’s biggest gain of the night. [4]
Asked afterward about learning the offense, Lock described drawing plays on a light board that he keeps beside his bed. [3]
“I’ll do it at night and I’ll do it in the morning,” he said. [3]
That work did not produce an effortless offensive performance. It helped Seattle operate with a different quarterback than the one who had prepared to start, long enough for the decisive opportunities to arrive.
The defense finishes the comeback
The first of Seattle’s late interceptions involved a safety who had been elevated from the practice squad. With Ty Okada and Nick Emmanwori inactive, Rodney Thomas II started alongside Love. Thomas broke up a pass intended for Romeo Doubs, and Pritchett collected the deflection. [2] [5]
Macdonald credited Love with helping the altered secondary communicate as well as making plays himself. Love later intercepted a pass intended for DeMario Douglas, giving Seattle another possession while it held a three-point lead. [3] [2]
New England still reached Seattle’s 16-yard line on its final drive. On third-and-five, Maye looked for Mack Hollins in the end zone. Jobe secured the interception, with the official gamebook recording 21 seconds remaining when the play ended. [2]
The takeaways made the difference in a game in which New England had opportunities to extend its lead and, later, to answer Seattle’s rally. Lock and the offense supplied all 13 points after the Seahawks had fallen behind 10-0. [2]
Darnold’s status remains the next question
Darnold injured his hip on a sack during Seattle’s first drive and did not return. Macdonald said after the game that initial testing had ruled out a fracture, but additional evaluation was still needed. [6]
“At this point, we were able to rule out a fracture,” Macdonald said. He did not provide a recovery timetable or say Darnold would be available for Seattle’s next game. [3]
The Seahawks next play at Arizona on September 20. [7] September 10 update: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Darnold was expected to miss that game but had avoided a lengthy absence. Macdonald had not announced a recovery timetable. The reported expectation is not an official game-status designation. [8]
Sources
- Seahawks.com: Opening-night game recap, September 9, 2026
- NFL official gamebook: Patriots at Seahawks, September 9, 2026
- Patriots.com: Seattle postgame transcript, September 9, 2026
- John Boyle, Seahawks.com: Drew Lock’s performance, September 9, 2026
- John Boyle, Seahawks.com: Julian Love’s performance, September 9, 2026
- Seahawks.com: Sam Darnold’s initial hip-injury update, September 9, 2026
- Seahawks.com: 2026 schedule
- NFL.com: Sam Darnold expected to miss Week 2, September 10, 2026
