The Seattle Seahawks held off the New England Patriots 13-10 on Wednesday night at Lumen Field, opening the 2026 NFL season with a rematch of Super Bowl LX that turned into a defensive struggle decided in the final seconds. Cornerback Josh Jobe intercepted Drake Maye in the end zone with 21 seconds left, sealing the win after New England had driven 72 yards into range of a potential game-tying field goal.
Seattle’s night nearly unraveled on the opening series. Quarterback Sam Darnold was sacked by former Seahawks pass rusher Dre’Mont Jones and left the field with a right hip injury, ending his night. Backup Drew Lock took over and finished 16 of 22 passing for 187 yards and a touchdown without an interception, directing two scoring drives in the second half after Seattle had fallen behind 10-0.
Lock’s biggest throw came on fourth-and-1, when he connected with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 45-yard touchdown that pulled the Seahawks even. Seattle’s defense took over from there, intercepting Maye three times in the fourth quarter alone. Jobe’s interception, a leaping catch in which he kept both feet inside the sideline boundary of the end zone, ended the Patriots’ last chance to answer.
New England’s night was compounded by an injury to receiver A.J. Brown, the team’s marquee offseason addition. Brown left in the third quarter after Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett landed on his right ankle while breaking up a pass, and did not return. He finished with three catches for 26 yards. Coach Mike Vrabel said afterward that X-rays were negative, though the concern is a high ankle sprain that could keep Brown out multiple weeks.
Darnold’s postgame testing showed no fracture, and the Seahawks have not yet set a timetable for his return. Seattle now heads into Week 2 needing clarity at quarterback, while New England will monitor Brown’s ankle as it opens its season 0-1 in Maye’s third year as the starter.
Elsewhere on the Week 1 injury report, several marquee players cleared the opening weekend without setbacks. San Francisco’s George Kittle and Nick Bosa both carried no injury designation into their opener against the Rams while continuing to work back from a torn Achilles and a torn ACL, respectively. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, recovering from the torn ACL and LCL he suffered in December, was cleared to start Kansas City’s opener after a full training camp.
Related from BeezLoop: The Defending Champs Lost, and Jameis Winston Won a Game 12-7 Without a Turnover, Chicago’s Third-String Quarterback Beat the Eagles by 20. Philadelphia Gained 62 Yards in… and Opinion: The Packers Are Not Playing Scared.
Sources: ESPN · NBC Sports · NBC Sports (A.J. Brown) · NBC Sports (Kittle/Bosa)
