What a way to kick off the 2026 NFL season. In just the third time ever where an NFL season began with a Super Bowl rematch, we got it all. The Seattle Seahawks gutted out a 13-10 victory over the New England Patriots in impressive fashion. 

The story of the night came down to one theme on both sides of the ball: guys stepping up when their numbers were called.

Make no doubt about it, a lot of preseason questions about the Seahawks may have been answered tonight. Even if just for one week. 

Drew Lock takes control on offense

Obviously the big story on offense is Sam Darnold going down early with a hip injury. At that moment, it seemed like Seattle’s path to victory was going to be much more difficult. It’s also just something you never want to see when watching a game. 

Drew Lock had to come in and take control, and I think some people might look at the box score and say 13 points is nothing special. Lock was amazing. He finished 16-of-22 for 187 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown being the 45 yard catch-and-run from superstar Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Lock managed the offense and did the right things he needed to do for this team to win. This is why he’s the backup quarterback in Seattle. This is why they trust him. It’s also why they really kept the offense open while he was out there.

I thought Brian Fleury settled into the game nicely with Lock under center. He started dialing up some really good things as the game went on, and he impressed me. You could tell the trust that him and the rest of the staff had in Lock. That touchdown in fact, came after Mike Macdonald elected to leave Lock and the offense out there. 

Jadarian Price needs more touches

There was one gripe that I did have with the offense. I thought they should have used Jadarian Price a little more. The rookie only had 10 carries but racked up 52 yards on those touches. He was explosive with the football all night and really looked like Kenneth Walker back there. 

The hype surrounding Price has been overwhelming throughout the preseason and you could understand why tonight. Give it some time but Brian Fleury should be sure to know that he must utilize the special rookie talent some more.

It would have been nice if they gave him a few more carries. But regardless, JSN was special in the second half, and Cooper Kupp made some big plays as well. You have to give it to Lock for doing what he does. Heck, he’s got the guys around him to be successful.

Seattle’s banged-up secondary comes up huge

Now to the defense. The Seahawks’ defensive backfield has been banged up, no question about it. Nick Emmanwori was ruled out before the game, and Ty Okada was out as well. Not to mention the team no longer has Tariq Woolen or Coby Bryant.

It’s certainly been tough back there, and yet Seattle came away with 3 interceptions on Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.

Nehemiah Pritchett grabbed the first interception on an amazing concentration play. Rodney Thomas II, who was elevated to the active roster off the practice squad, was the one who broke up that pass. I thought Thomas II had a really solid night. He had to have known there was a good chance that he would play, but still, that’s very impressive from him.

Julian Love, who everyone knew would be a starter, hauled in an interception of his own. But the crucial last play of the game belonged to Josh Jobe, clinching the win with the third and final pick of the evening. And boy was it a beautiful toe-tap from Jobe. 

Now look, Seattle did receive some help. Patriots wide receiver AJ Brown went down with an injury and missed the majority of the second half. That was a tough blow for New England’s passing attack. Romeo Doubs was not having a good night either. He was barely getting targeted and had a bad drop on a wide-open pass.

But the pressure the Seahawks were able to generate up front from that nasty front 7, combined with coach Mike Macdonald dialing up amazing blitz schemes all night, made life easier for the secondary. And when those defensive backs were tested, they made plays. That’s all you can ask for.

Penalties need cleaning up

The biggest downer on the night beyond the Darnold injury was easily the penalties. Seattle was flagged 10 times for 98 yards. New England wasn’t much better at 7 for 50. You can chalk some of it up to the first game of the season, and I don’t want to overreact too much, but the Seahawks definitely have to clean that up going forward.

Overall though, this was a great win in the kickoff game for the 2026 season. Seattle proved it has the depth to weather some adversity, and I think this team is going to be just fine going forward. They certainly have the roster to win it all this year, but what’s even better is they take it one step at a time. Mike Macdonald’s culture has permeated throughout this team and it is evident in the way they came out tonight.