Dark Side defense helps Seahawks overcome an injury to Sam Darnold to win the opener

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks showed that no matter who they have at quarterback, their Dark Side defense gives them a chance to win.

That proved to be true in the season opener when the defending Super Bowl champions overcame an injury to quarterback Sam Darnold and a 10-point deficit to beat the New England Patriots 13-10 on Wednesday night thanks in large part to three interceptions in the fourth quarter.

"When you think about Seattle, we want you to think about our defense, and what we are going to bring each and every day,” linebacker Ernest Jones IV said.

That defense will need to continue to shine given the uncertainty about Darnold's status after he left the game with a hip injury following the opening drive. Coach Mike Macdonald said on his radio show Thursday that it was a “muscle” injury and he wasn't sure if Darnold would miss any time.

Backup Drew Lock made just enough plays to give Seattle a chance, with his 45-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba tying the game in the fourth quarter following the first of three interceptions the defense made off Drake Maye.

The second pick set up the go-ahead field goal, and the win was sealed when Josh Jobe made a toe-tapping interception of a pass to the end zone with the Patriots in position to tie the game with a field goal or take the lead with a touchdown in the final minute.

“It was game on the line," Jobe said. "Like we talk about, we live in the death zone, and we came alive and we took the ball away. That’s what we talked about throughout the week, take the ball away and keep our eye on the ball.”

That was the formula that was so successful last season, when the Seahawks rode one of the game's stingiest defenses to win the title, capped by completely shutting down Maye and the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Fourth-quarter defense. Seattle had three interceptions and three sacks in the fourth quarter to help fuel the comeback in another dominant defensive performance. The Seahawks were the first team in 11 years to have at least three interceptions and three sacks in the fourth quarter of a game they trailed after three.

Penalties. Seattle had 10 penalties for 98 yards and several were costly. Jobe committed a pass interference to set up New England's first TD and a roughing the punter on Chazz Surratt led to a field goal. The Seahawks also lined up offside on a successful fourth-down sneak to stop one drive and had an illegal shift to wipe out a TD pass on a drive that ended with a field goal.

Lock. The journeyman quarterback has bounced around the league a bit since being drafted by Denver in the second round in 2019. He delivered when it mattered on Wednesday night, with his TD pass to Smith-Njigba tying the game and then leading a go-ahead drive for a field goal later in the fourth.

Pass catchers other than Smith-Njigba. Last season's AP Offensive Player of the Year had 44.1% of the team's yards receiving in 2025 for the highest rate of any player in 13 years. He had 122 of the 200 yards passing in the opener, with no one else having more than two catches or more than 35 yards.

Darnold's status is the biggest question, but the team also had to play without safeties Nick Emmanwori (ankle) and Ty Okada (hamstring). Both could have a chance to play in Week 2.

0. The Seahawks committed no turnovers. Seattle turned it over 28 times in the 2025 regular season for the second most in the NFL. But the Seahawks had none in Week 18 and then became the only Super Bowl champion to commit no turnovers in the playoffs. With none in the opener, they now have gone five straight games without a giveaway for the first time in franchise history.

The Seahawks visit Arizona on Sept. 20 seeking their second 2-0 start in the past six seasons.

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