Seahawks Beat Patriots 13-10 After Darnold Injury

The Seattle Seahawks opened their NFL season with a 13-10 victory over the New England Patriots on Wednesday night at Lumen Field. Backup quarterback Drew Lock replaced an injured Sam Darnold on the opening drive and led a fourth-quarter comeback, while Seattle’s defense intercepted New England quarterback Drake Maye three times to secure the win.

Lock steps in following Darnold injury

Darnold exited the game during Seattle’s first offensive possession after suffering a right hip injury. Lock entered in relief, completing 16 of 22 pass attempts for 187 yards and one touchdown. Facing a fourth-and-1 in the fourth quarter, Seattle offensive coordinator Brian Fleury called a passing play that Lock converted into a 45-yard touchdown throw to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, tying the score at 10-10. Kicker Jason Myers subsequently put Seattle ahead with a field goal.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald stated after the game that the team received “great news” regarding Darnold, noting he appeared to have avoided a fracture. According to unnamed sources cited by ESPN, Darnold was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for a CT scan, which yielded inconclusive results ahead of a scheduled MRI scan on Thursday.

Defensive display turns the tide

Seattle trailed 10-0 before its defense generated turnovers against Maye. The Seahawks started their game-tying drive after cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett intercepted a deflected pass. Later in the fourth quarter, cornerback Josh Jobe sealed the result by picking off Maye in the end zone while New England was positioned to attempt a game-tying field goal.

Maye finished with three interceptions on the night. The Patriots adopted a conservative passing approach during the first half, with Maye attempting only one throw that traveled more than 10 air yards, while his other 11 first-half attempts combined for 15 air yards.

Patriots setback and ground game details

New England suffered a major injury of its own in the third quarter when primary wide receiver A.J. Brown exited with a right ankle injury. Receiver Romeo Doubs, signed by New England to a four-year, $68 million contract during the offseason, was involved in two key setbacks following Brown’s exit, including a dropped pass on a potential first down shortly before Maye’s second interception.

With Seattle running back Zach Charbonnet placed on the physically unable to perform list for at least the first four games, the Seahawks relied on a rotation of ball-carriers. First-round draft pick Jadarian Price led the team with 52 rushing yards on 10 carries, while George Holani added 29 yards on eight carries and Emanuel Wilson gained three yards on two attempts.

Background

The game served as a rematch of Super Bowl LX, in which Seattle’s defense also forced two interceptions against Maye. New England scored its only touchdown of the game on a two-yard pass from Maye to rookie tight end Eli Raridon, who had not recorded a touchdown in 12 games during his previous college season at Notre Dame.