The Seahawks lost staring quarterback Sam Darnold on the opening drive of the game, fell behind early, trailing 10-0 early in the third quarter, and for a while things looked dire for the defending champs.

But thanks to a great defensive performance that included three interceptions, including one in the end zone by Josh Jobe to clinch the win, and a great performance by Drew Lock in relief of Darnold, the Seahawks were able to rally for a 13-10 win.

Here are seven rapid reaction to a thrilling season-opening win over the Patriots.

1. The game got off to an ominous start with an injury to quarterback Sam Darnold, but the Seahawks rallied behind a great defensive effort and a strong outing by Drew Lock. The Seahawks opened the season with Lumen Field rocking as a Seahawks Legend Kam Chancellor hyped up the crowd before a banner celebrating the team's Super Bowl LX victory was unveiled. A few minutes later, with the game underway, rookie running back Jadarian Price ripped off a 13-yard run on Seattle's first play from scrimmage, and the next play was a Sam Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba completion for another first down. A false start and three plays later, however, Darnold was sacked, ending the drive, and as it turned out, his evening in the game. As Seattle's defense went to work against New England's offense, Darnold went into the blue medical tent for evaluation and later limped to the locker room with a team physician. Later, it was announced that Darnold was questionable to return with a hip injury, and later in the first half he was downgraded to out. The prognosis on Darnold wasn't known immediately after the game, but his early exit was a tough blow for the Seahawks and their offense to start the season. All of that wasn't enough to keep the Seahawks from earning a hard-fought win, however, thanks to some defensive heroics and some clutch play by Lock.
2. Drew Lock was great in relief. Lock has shown in the past that he is a starting-caliber quarterback who just happens to be biding his time in a backup role, and he did it again on Wednesday, playing great in relief of Darnold to help the Seahawks come back and win the game. Lock had one early miss that was nearly intercepted, but was outstanding other than that, completing 16 of 22 attempts for 187 yards and a 45-yard touchdown. He also rushed for 13 yards on two carries, and led the drive that resulted in Jason Myers' fourth-quarter field goal that proved to be the game-winner. Credit also should go to offensive coordinator Brian Fleury, who called a great game under tough circumstances in his debut on the job.

3. Julian Love had a fantastic game to lead a great defensive effort. While the offense, minus Darnold, struggled to get going, Seattle's defense had a great game recording three second-half turnovers to spark the comeback, and one of the best performances on that side of the ball came from Love, who was flying around the field making plays. Love's day included six tackles, including two tackles for loss, a huge, and clean, hit on tight end Hunter Henry to open the second half, setting the tone for a dominant second-half effort, and an interception that set up the go-ahead field goal.

4. Jadarian Price had a promising NFL debut. The rookie did not play in the preseason, so Wednesday's game was the first chance for most Seahawks fans to see the first-round pick out of Notre Dame, and Price did not disappoint. With the offense taking a while to get on track, Price didn't get enough touches to put up huge numbers, but he looked explosive nearly every time the ball was in his hands, including his first carry, which went for 13 yards on the first play from scrimmage. Price had a couple of other nice runs on his way to a solid stat line of 52 yards on 10 carries, and he also added a pair of catches for 6 total yards.

5. The 2026 version of Jaxon Smith-Njigba looks a lot like the 2025 version. Smith-Njigba started the 2025 season on a record pace, and while he cooled off a bit, he still had an outstanding season, leading the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards on his way to first-team All-Pro and AP Offensive Player of the Year honors, all while helping lead the Seahawks to a title. So how did Smith-Njigba open his 2026 campaign? With another standout performance that included a big touchdown catch a run and another impressive stat line. Despite the Seahawks losing Darnold early, Smith-Njigba showed he can be a dominant force with Lock on the field, catching eight passes for 122 yards and a score.

6. Nehemiah Pritchett made some big plays, including a pick that led to a big touchdown. The third-year cornerback spent training camp and the preseason in a competition to be the team's third cornerback, and he ultimately earned that role to start the 2026 season. And Prichett, who got the nickname "Mighty" from his cousins when he was a child, made the most of his opportunity on Wednesday night, coming up with some very big plays for Seattle's defense. Most notably, Pritchett intercepted a fourth-quarter deep ball, showing off impressive ball skills to tip a ball initially broken up by safety Rodney Thomas II, then running under the ball to secure the pick before returning it 30 yards. The Seahawks followed that turnover with their first touchdown drive of the night, one capped by a Drew Lock to Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 45-yard touchdown.

7. Penalties were costly for the Seahawks, but they were able to overcome them. The Seahawks were flagged for 10 penalties for 98 yards in Wednesday's game, and it wasn't just the number of penalties or total yards that proved costly, but the situations in which some of those came in. New England's first touchdown, a 2-yard pass from Drake May to Eli Raridon, came immediately after Josh Jobe was flagged for pass interference on an underthrown deep ball. Jobe was initially beat on a flea-flicker, then sprinted back to recover, and with the ball underthrown, he ran into Patriots receiver A.J. Brown to give New England first-and-goal at the 2-yard line. Later in the first half with the Seahawks looking to extend a drive on fourth-and-1, Seattle was flagged for the rare offensive offside penalty on an AJ Barner sneak, erasing a first down and causing the Seahawks to punt. In the third quarter, the Patriots appeared to be stopped on their opening drive, but linebacker Chazz Surratt clipped the foot of punter Mitch Wishnowsky, leading to a roughing-the-kicker penalty that set up a field goal. Later in the third quarter Lock appeared to have his first touchdown pass of the night, hitting Cooper Kupp in the end zone on third-and-goal, but the Seahawks were flagged for an illegal shift. After an incompletion on the ensuing play, the Seahawks had to settle for a 30-yard Jason Myers field goal, making the illegal shift a four-point penalty. And in the fourth quarter, a promising drive following Love's interception stalled out in the red zone after a delay of game penalty turned second-and-1 into second-and-6, after which the Seahawks could not convert. Yet, even with all of those points lost and surrendered due to penalties, the Seahawks did enough to earn a win.