Seattle Seahawks defeat New England Patriots 13-10 after injuries to Sam Darnold and A.J. Brown
Backup quarterback Drew Lock threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jason Myers kicked a 26-yard field goal as Seattle erased a 10-0 second-half deficit.
Darnold injury on opening drive
The Seattle Seahawks opened the 2026 NFL regular season with a 13-10 victory over the New England Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl LXI. Seattle lost starting quarterback Sam Darnold on its first offensive possession after five snaps. New England defensive lineman Dre'Mont Jones brought Darnold down for a coverage sack on third-and-6, causing a hip injury. Darnold had completed one of his two passes on the opening series, a 13-yard connection to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. After limping to the bench and entering the medical tent, Darnold donned a blue Seahawks cap and walked to the locker room for X-rays. Backup quarterback Drew Lock took over to begin Seattle's second offensive series, which ended with a punt.
- Sam Darnold suffers a hip injury on a sack by Dre'Mont Jones and exits the game
- Drake Maye throws a touchdown pass to Eli Raridon after pass interference on A.J. Brown
- New England adds a field goal before A.J. Brown leaves with a right ankle injury
- Drew Lock connects with Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 45-yard touchdown on fourth down
- Jason Myers makes a 26-yard field goal to put Seattle ahead 13-10
- Seattle intercepts Drake Maye in the end zone to secure the victory
Brown injury and New England scoring
New England built a 10-0 advantage behind quarterback Drake Maye, last season's MVP runner-up. In the second quarter, Maye targeted newcomer A.J. Brown on a third-down flea-flicker, drawing a pass-interference penalty that set up a short touchdown pass to Eli Raridon. The Patriots added to their lead on their opening drive of the second half. On third down, nickel cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett deflected a pass intended for Brown, landing on the receiver's right ankle as it twisted inward. Seattle was penalized for roughing the punter on fourth down, allowing New England to extend the drive and kick a field goal. Brown removed his right cleat, entered the sideline medical tent, and was ruled out with three receptions for 23 to 26 yards.
Lock leads fourth-quarter comeback
Lock guided Seattle's offense through the second half, completing 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards without a turnover. Early in the fourth quarter, Lock converted on fourth-and-1 by throwing a 45-yard touchdown pass to Smith-Njigba, the reigning Offensive Player of the Year. Seattle moved ahead with 5:50 remaining in the fourth quarter when kicker Jason Myers made a 26-yard field goal. New England attempted to respond, but Seattle's defense intercepted Maye three times in the fourth quarter. The final turnover occurred with 21 seconds remaining, when Seattle intercepted Maye in the end zone to secure the victory.
- Drew Lock
- 187 yards
- Sam Darnold
- 13 yards
Background and quarterback history
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel entered the opener after an offseason focused on offensive changes following New England's Super Bowl defeat, including trades for Brown and receiver Romeo Doubs alongside free-agent additions. Vrabel addressed the team's roster decisions prior to the matchup.
I do not think that the Super Bowl was the only factor in the decisions that we made.
Brown entered the game with six 1,000-yard seasons in his first seven NFL years, having caught 78 passes for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025 with Philadelphia. Lock entered Wednesday with 41 career NFL games and a 10-18 starting record across stints with the Denver Broncos, Seattle, and the New York Giants. The victory marked Lock's second fourth-quarter comeback for Seattle against an opponent featuring Brown, having previously led a 92-yard touchdown drive to defeat Philadelphia in 2023.
