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Seahawks Defeat Patriots 13-10 in Season Opener Following Three Maye Interceptions

Backup quarterback Drew Lock led two late scoring drives as the Seattle Seahawks overcame an injury to Sam Darnold to defeat the New England Patriots.

Published September 9, 2026 at 11:31 PM EDT

The short answer

Backup quarterback Drew Lock led two late scoring drives as the Seattle Seahawks overcame an injury to Sam Darnold to defeat the New England Patriots.

Seahawks Defeat Patriots 13-10 in Season Opener Following Three Maye Interceptions

The Facts

Who
Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Drew Lock, Drake Maye, Sam Darnold
What
NFL season opener between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots
When
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Where
Seattle, Washington
Why
The Seahawks rallied from a 10-0 deficit in the fourth quarter to win their season opener despite losing their starting quarterback to injury.

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 13-10 on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, in an NFL season-opening rematch of the previous Super Bowl. Backup quarterback Drew Lock led two scoring drives in the fourth quarter after starter Sam Darnold left the game with a hip injury during the opening series.

The game remained low-scoring through three quarters, with New England leading 10-0 following a 2-yard touchdown pass from Drake Maye to Eli Raridon and a 50-yard field goal by Andy Borregales. Seattle’s offense, led by Lock, did not score in the first half and recorded only a field goal in the third quarter before rallying in the final period.

The Seahawks tied the game when Lock threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba on fourth-and-1 following an interception by Nehemiah Pritchett. Seattle took the lead on a 26-goal field goal by Jason Myers after Julian Love intercepted Maye on the subsequent New England possession. Josh Jobe secured the victory with a toe-tapping interception in the end zone during the final minute of play.

Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald stated that initial tests on Darnold’s hip showed no broken bones. The Patriots also faced injury concerns as wide receiver A.J. Brown left the game in the third quarter with a right ankle injury and did not return. Maye, who finished with three fourth-quarter interceptions, described the final turnover as "unacceptable."

For the Seattle Seahawks, the health of starting quarterback Sam Darnold is a central concern for the organization and its fan base. While the team secured a win, the offense produced only 64 passing yards in the first half under Drew Lock. If Darnold’s hip injury results in missed games, the Seahawks must rely on Lock, who threw only three passes during the entire 2025 season, to maintain their position in the NFC West standings.

The game also served as a high-profile broadcast event, featuring the raising of Seattle's Super Bowl banner in front of a home crowd at Lumen Field. This marked only the third time since 2016 that the NFL scheduled a Super Bowl rematch for Week 1. Both teams now prepare for their next matchups on September 20, 2026, when the Patriots host the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seahawks travel to face the Arizona Cardinals.

Timeline of what happened

Key dates and decisions, in the order they occurred.

  1. September 9, 2026

    Seahawks defeat Patriots 13-10 in season opener

  2. September 20, 2026

    Patriots scheduled to host Pittsburgh; Seahawks scheduled to visit Arizona

Summaries are written by The Plain Record to state the facts of a story plainly and without political slant. Drafted with AI assistance and checked against the source record before publication. See how we report, or report a correction.

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Questions readers ask

What happened: Seahawks Defeat Patriots 13-10 in Season Opener Following Three Maye Interceptions?

The Seattle Seahawks defeated the New England Patriots 13-10 on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, in an NFL season-opening rematch of the previous Super Bowl. Backup quarterback Drew Lock led two scoring drives in the fourth quarter after starter Sam Darnold left the game with a hip injury during the opening series.

Who is involved?

Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, Drew Lock, Drake Maye, Sam Darnold

When did this happen?

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

Where did this happen?

Seattle, Washington

Why does this matter?

The Seahawks rallied from a 10-0 deficit in the fourth quarter to win their season opener despite losing their starting quarterback to injury.