The New England Patriots controlled much of Wednesday night’s season opener.
They controlled the ball. They moved it more consistently. They led by 10 points deep into the third quarter. They even forced Seattle to play almost the entire game without its starting quarterback.
None of it was enough.
The Seahawks erased a 10-0 deficit and defeated New England 13-10 at Lumen Field, with Josh Jobe intercepting Drake Maye in the end zone with 21 seconds remaining to preserve Seattle’s opening-night victory.
New England Controlled the First Half
The night began with what appeared to be an immediate advantage for the Patriots.
On Seattle’s first offensive possession, former Seahawk Dre’Mont Jones sacked Sam Darnold for a five-yard loss. Darnold injured his hip on the play, went to the locker room and was eventually ruled out. Backup Drew Lock handled the Seahawks’ final nine possessions.
New England’s defense took advantage initially, holding Seattle scoreless throughout the first half.
The Patriots broke the tie during the second quarter with their best offensive possession of the game. Maye directed a 10-play, 77-yard drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown pass to tight end Eli Raridon. The score gave New England a 7-0 advantage with 9:11 remaining before halftime.
Maye also used his legs effectively during the opening two quarters, including a 16-yard scramble during a late-half drive. He finished the game with 47 rushing yards on seven attempts.
Patriots Extend Their Lead—but Lose A.J. Brown
New England appeared to take control on the opening possession of the second half.
A roughing-the-kicker penalty extended the drive before Andy Borregales converted a 50-yard field goal, giving the Patriots a 10-0 lead with 11:49 remaining in the third quarter.
The drive came with a significant cost.
A.J. Brown injured his right ankle on an incomplete pass intended for him early in the third quarter. He entered the medical tent, was initially listed as questionable and was later ruled out. Brown finished his Patriots debut with three catches for 26 yards on four targets.
Without Brown, New England’s passing game became increasingly compressed. Seattle could challenge Romeo Doubs, DeMario Douglas and the rest of the Patriots’ receivers without devoting the same attention to the outside.
That mattered considerably once the fourth quarter began.
Drew Lock and Jaxon Smith-Njigba Bring Seattle Back
Seattle finally reached the scoreboard late in the third quarter when Jason Myers converted a 30-yard field goal.
Then the game changed completely.
On New England’s first fourth-quarter possession, Maye attempted a deep pass for Doubs from Seattle’s 45-yard line. Nehemiah Pritchett intercepted it at the Seahawks’ 3 and returned the ball 30 yards.
Lock needed only five plays to capitalize.
Facing fourth-and-1 at the New England 45, Seattle elected to keep the offense on the field. Lock found Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who broke free for a 45-yard touchdown that tied the game at 10 with 11:28 remaining.
Smith-Njigba was Seattle’s offensive difference-maker. He caught eight passes for 122 yards and the touchdown, accounting for more than half of the Seahawks’ gross passing production. Lock completed 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions after replacing Darnold.
Three Patriots Possessions, Three Interceptions
The first turnover did not end New England’s chances.
The next two did.
Maye’s following possession ended when Julian Love intercepted a pass intended for Douglas at the Patriots’ 47-yard line. Seattle turned the short field into an eight-play drive, with Myers converting a 26-yard field goal to give the Seahawks their first lead at 13-10.
New England received one final opportunity with 5:50 remaining.
The Patriots survived an offensive holding penalty, two sacks and a fourth-and-9 from the Seattle 47. Maye found Mack Hollins for 11 yards on that fourth down, scrambled for another conversion and eventually moved the offense to the Seahawks’ 16-yard line.
With 26 seconds left, Maye targeted Hollins in the end zone on third-and-5.
Jobe intercepted the pass for Seattle’s third takeaway of the quarter, ending the game.
Maye finished 23-of-33 for 178 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions, producing a 54.9 passer rating. All three interceptions occurred during New England’s final three possessions.
Patriots Won Several Categories—Except the One That Mattered
The box score illustrates how avoidable this loss was.
New England finished with:
- A 19-13 advantage in first downs
- A 34:17 to 25:43 advantage in possession
- 109 rushing yards
- A perfect 2-for-2 on fourth down
- No fumbles
The Patriots also held Seattle to 2-of-11 on third down and prevented the Seahawks from scoring a touchdown on either of their two red-zone possessions.
But New England lost the turnover battle 3-0.
That erased almost every other advantage.
The Patriots ran 19 more offensive plays than Seattle but averaged only 4.1 yards per snap. Seattle averaged 5.9, aided significantly by Lock’s touchdown to Smith-Njigba and a 24-yard completion to Cooper Kupp during the third quarter.
Rhamondre Stevenson provided 95 yards from scrimmage, rushing 18 times for 51 yards and catching five passes for 44. Hollins led New England’s receivers with four catches for 51 yards, while Doubs was held without a reception on three targets.
The Defense Gave New England Enough
There will be individual plays the Patriots’ defense wants back, particularly the fourth-and-1 touchdown and Seattle’s field-goal drive after the second interception.
Still, this was largely a winning defensive performance.
New England allowed 13 points, recorded two sacks and held Seattle below 100 rushing yards. Robert Spillane led the Patriots with eight total tackles, while Gabe Jacas recorded his first career sack and two tackles for loss. Christian Gonzalez added two pass breakups.
The defense also spent most of the night operating without help from takeaways of its own.
Seattle’s two second-half scoring drives began after interceptions, including one possession at the New England 47. Asking a defense to repeatedly defend short fields against the reigning champions is not a sustainable winning formula.
For three quarters, the Patriots looked capable of defeating Seattle.
That may be the most frustrating part.
The offensive line performed better than it did in Super Bowl LX. New England’s defense removed Darnold from the game and largely controlled Seattle’s rushing attack. The Patriots possessed the football for more than 34 minutes and reached the Seahawks’ 16 with an opportunity to either tie or win.
Then Maye made three costly decisions.
That does not erase everything he accomplished last season. It also cannot be dismissed as merely bad luck. Seattle’s secondary anticipated routes, capitalized on aggressive throws and made the plays New England did not.
The A.J. Brown injury is now another major concern. His presence had already begun affecting Seattle’s coverage, and the passing game became noticeably less threatening without him.
For the Seahawks, this was the type of victory champions learn to steal. They lost their quarterback on the opening drive, trailed 10-0 and committed 10 penalties for 98 yards—and still found a way to win.
For the Patriots, it was a game they should have finished.
Instead, New England begins the season 0-1 after turning a controlled opening night into a fourth-quarter collapse.
Seattle did not dominate the Patriots again. It simply waited for New England to make the decisive mistakes—and punished every one of them.
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