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How It Happened
New England led 7-0 at halftime and 10-0 after Andres Borregales hit a 50 yard field goal in the third quarter, a drive that got a 15 yard boost from a roughing the punter penalty on Chazz Surratt. Seattle answered with a 30 yard Jason Myers field goal to make it 10-3 going into the fourth, then the game turned on three Drake Maye throws.
On the second play of the fourth quarter Maye went deep for Romeo Doubs and Nehemiah Pritchett intercepted it with a 30 yard return. Two plays later Drew Lock hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a short pass and Smith-Njigba ran through the Patriots secondary for a 45 yard touchdown to tie it at 10 with 11:28 left. On the next New England possession Doubs dropped a wide open throw on second and 14, and on the following play Julian Love read Maye’s pass for DeMario Douglas and picked it off. Myers turned that into a 26 yard field goal and a 13-10 lead with 5:53 left.
New England still had a chance. With 26 seconds left and third and 5 from the Seattle 16, Maye rolled right under pressure and threw a jump ball to Mack Hollins in the end zone. Josh Jobe came down with it instead. Three interceptions, all in the fourth quarter, and the same team that picked Maye off twice in Super Bowl LX did it again.
Darnold Hurt on the First Drive
Sam Darnold lasted six plays. He was sacked by Dre’Mont Jones on third and 6 on Seattle’s opening series, limped off with a hip injury, was listed as questionable and then ruled out before halftime. He finished 1 of 2 for 13 yards. Drew Lock played the rest of the game and went 16 of 22 for 187 yards and the touchdown, avoiding mistakes and leading three second half scoring drives off good field position. Seattle plays at Arizona in Week 2, so Darnold’s status is the story of the week.
New England lost A.J. Brown to an ankle injury early in the third quarter after three catches for 26 yards. He did not return.
By the Numbers
Maye finished 22 of 33 for 178 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, plus 47 rushing yards on seven carries. His only other multi interception game as a pro was Super Bowl LX, also against Seattle. Smith-Njigba had 122 receiving yards, 69 of them in the fourth quarter. Rhamondre Stevenson ran 18 times and did not reach 55 yards, extending Seattle’s streak without allowing a 100 yard rusher to 30 games. Pritchett led the Seahawks with six tackles and two passes defensed, and Jobe also had six tackles to go with the game ending pick.
What It Means
Seattle is 1-0 and has now beaten New England five straight times, but it is a nervous 1-0 if Darnold misses time. Lock kept the offense afloat against a Patriots defense that gave up 13 points; he will not get many nights like that. The defense looks like the unit that won the Super Bowl even without Nick Emmanwori and Ty Okada, and Mike Macdonald is now 2-0 against Mike Vrabel in games that mattered.
New England is 0-1 with a long wait. The Patriots do not play again until Sunday, September 20 against Pittsburgh. They held Seattle to 13 points on the road, which was the plan, and Maye threw it away in the fourth quarter, which was not. Brown’s ankle is the other thing to watch; the offense did nothing downfield without him.
Related
Preview, prediction and odds · Injury report and inactives · NFL Kickoff Game history · Patriots vs Seahawks Super Bowl history · NFL games today · NFL Week 1 schedule
The Bottom Line
Seahawks 13, Patriots 10. Seattle raised the Super Bowl LX banner, lost its quarterback on the first drive and still won because its secondary took the ball away three times in the fourth quarter. The scoreboard at the top holds the final and shows the rest of Week 1 as it plays out.