THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS shrugged off Sam Darnold’s early injury to beat the New England Patriots 13-10 in the NFL’s opening game, piling more misery on the team they defeated in last season’s Super Bowl.

Backup quarterback Drew Lock threw for 187 yards and a touchdown to Jackson Smith-Njigba, as reigning champs Seattle rallied from 10-0 down for their 11th consecutive win.

The latest loss inflicted more pain on New England quarterback Drake Maye, who threw three costly interceptions, including a particularly wasteful one in the final seconds from field-goal range to throw away a patchy, defensive game.

Maye — who had been sacked six times in February’s Super Bowl, and suffered three more here — was picked off by Seahawks’ cornerback Josh Jobe in the end zone.

“It was game on the line. You know, fourth quarter… we only was up three points, and we got to take the ball away, and we did,” said Jobe.

“Holy cow, we did it! Here we are, one-and-zero,” said Lock.

And it was a night to forget for the Patriot’s new acquisitions too, as AJ Brown limped off with an ankle injury and Romeo Doubs was beaten for one interception and was guilty of a terrible drop shortly before a second.

The Seattle evening began in festive fashion. A new Super Bowl LX championship banner was unfurled from Lumen Field’s colossal rafters. Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready performed the national anthem.

But the mood was punctured on the game’s first drive. Darnold was sacked on third down by Dre’Mont Jones, and limped to the locker room via the medical tent clutching his hip. He did not return.

The Patriots struck first. Maye hurled the ball 34 yards to Brown on the edge of the endzone. Defensive pass interference was called, and Maye immediately lofted a short pass over the top to newly drafted tight end Eli Raridon for the season’s first touchdown.

Seattle fought back. Veteran receiver Cooper Kupp took a stunning one-handed diving catch from Lock for a 24-yard gain on third down. The pair then celebrated a touchdown pass, before the score was ruled out for an illegal shift, and the Seahawks settled for a field goal.

Interceptions

After a promising Patriots drive, Maye’s ambitious downfield hurl to Romeo Doubs ricocheted off Rodney Thomas’s fingers to Nehemiah Pritchett for the game’s first interception.

The Seahawks made Maye pay. At 4th & 1, Lock passed to an open Smith-Njigba, who raced past the Patriots’ defence at lightning speed for a 45-yard touchdown, tying the game 10-10.

Seattle drove again, with Lock peppering passes before charging 14 yards into the red zone. A series of errors from a hugely promising position meant it was only a field goal.

An increasingly desperate Maye suffered his first sack of the night trying to break through the Seattle defence. Two more swiftly followed, though the Patriots somehow edged the ball upfield, twice successfully going for fourth downs.

But sensing a chance for a winning touchdown, despite being in field goal range, Maye hurled a deep right pass to Mack Hollins in the end zone, resulting in Jobe’s game-ending interception.

“We’ve moved on. This is a new season. We did the banner thing. It’s time to find out who 2026 Seahawks are going to be,” said Lock.

– © AFP 2026