For much of Wednesday night's opener, things were looking a little bleak for the defending Super Bowl champions, in so many ways.

First, and most obvious, was the hip injury that knocked Pro-Bowl quarterback Sam Darnold out of the game on Seattle's opening possession, meaning backup quarterback Drew Lock and first-time offensive coordinator Brian Fleury were going to have to figure out a way to make the offense work for the rest of the evening.

There was also the fact that, in a low-scoring battle, the Seahawks were piling up costly penalties that both cost them points and resulted in points for the Patriots, leading to a 10-0 third-quarter deficit.

By the time the fourth quarter started, the Seahawks trailed 10-3, and the Patriots were driving, having just moved into Seahawks territory as the third quarter ended. Seattle's defense had played well all evening, but the team needed a spark, they needed something big to happen if a fourth-quarter turnaround was going to happen.

And sure enough, when Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, who for most of the night had been efficient settling for short passes and checkdowns, finally decided to test Seattle downfield, safety Rodney Thomas II and cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett teamed up to make a game-changing play. Thomas, who had a perfect read on Maye's deep pass, outleapt receiver Romeo Doubs to get his hands on the ball, and Pritchett was able to tip the loose ball up to himself and secure the interception before returning it 30 yards.

What followed was a script that had to look familiar to anyone who has been watching the Mike Macdonald-coached Seahawks in recent years. Once momentum shifted, the Seahawks took control of the game. Five plays after that interception, Drew Lock hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba with a short pass on fourth-and-1, and the All-Pro receiver did the rest, racing past New England's defense for a game-tying touchdown. On the ensuing New England possession, Maye tested Seattle deep again, and this time it was Julian Love making the interception, his second in as many games against the Patriots, having also intercepted Maye in the Super Bowl. That turnover set up the go-ahead Jason Myers field goal, but the win was still far from assured at that point. The Patriots still had plenty of time on the clock, and drove deep into Seattle territory, thanks in part to two fourth-down conversions, but with the game on the line, the defense came through one more time, with Josh Jobe leaping to make a game-clinching interception in the end zone, showing great body control and footwork to get both feet down inbounds before securing the catch.

Despite the loss of their quarterback early in the game, despite two starters in their secondary, Ty Okada and Nick Emmanwori, being sidelined, despite costly penalties that set up both of New England's scores and that also cost the Seahawks points on offense, they found a way to get the job done. They won because backup quarterback Drew Lock was able to rise to the occasion; they won because Rodney Thomas II, who was elevated from the practice squad earlier in the day, came through with big plays; they won because Nehemiah Pritchett, who spent training camp battling for the No. 3 cornerback job, had the best game of his career; they won because players like Love and Smith-Njigba and DeMarcus Lawrence and Cooper Kupp did what they've always done, come through in big moments; and they also won because of the belief this team has built in two-plus seasons under Macdonald. It might not always go according to plan, but these Seahawks know they can find a way.

"That's probably the number one thing that we have is we're just going to find a way," said Love, who in addition to his interception also added six tackles and two tackles for loss. "It might be scoring a bunch of points, it might be shutting out a team, special teams making plays, whatever. We'll find a way. I think that's a sign of a great team is just to be able to do it multiple ways. This had a little bit of everything, and it's obviously great to win it."

Added Smith-Njigba, "We don't waver. We don't run from adversity. That's just not the guys that we are. That's not who this team is. We love it, we make it right. We just fight play after play after play. This was a dogfight, and we know that. We're a group of guys that keep our heads down and look up when it's triple zeros on the clock. It's been good for us."

A 10-year veteran, Kupp has been around the NFL long enough and played on enough great teams to recognize that some teams just have a knack for winning, while others find ways to beat themselves. The Seahawks, who last season overcame a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to the Rams in their biggest win of the regular season, who have now won 11 straight games dating back to last season and have gone 24-5 under Macdonald since their 2024 bye week, definitely fall in the category of teams that just have a knack for getting the job done.

"There's something to be said in the NFL about the expectation that you have for yourself," said Kupp. "I think you can get into games through whatever your experience has been in football and you get into that last four minutes and you either have this expectation that you're going to find a way to win or you have the expectation that something is going to go wrong and you're going to find a way to lose. And we've got a lot of guys on this team, I would say just about everyone on this team, if not everyone, has the expectation that we're going to find a way to win the game. And that goes a long way. There's power behind that. It's honestly why in this league you've seen teams that just seem like they find a way to lose over and over again. There's other teams that do just find ways to win games. That last drive, the defense was doing a great job trying and finding a way to come up with a turnover. Everything started looking like, hopefully, having an opportunity in overtime to be able to win it, but Jobe goes out there and does a great job to win it for us there. It speaks a lot to the work that went into it, but I think it's also because the work that's gone into it, there's an expectation about what these outcomes are going to be."

Macdonald, whose teams have lost only five games (only one by more than four points) since the bye week of his first season as head coach, added, "I just have a lot of respect for our guys, and the rest of our coaching staff feels the same way. It shows up on tape. You felt it throughout the game -- the poise, and there's a confidence that we're just going to find a play, then we're going to try to find another play. If you really keep it that simple in the things you can control throughout a game, you won't get caught up in all the other stuff."

Vinod Khosla, whose family took over ownership of the franchise earlier this month, experienced his first Seahawks game in his new role as Chair of the Seahawks and First & Goal LLC, joked on Twitter that he'll have to "get a cardiac test" before the next game, having enjoyed his first taste of wild, prime-time thrillers at Lumen Field. But in addition to riding out a stressful roller coaster of a game with the rest of the fans in attendance, the Khoslas also got to see up close what a championship team, playing with confidence, even in dire situations, can pull off.

"Wow, what a game," Macdonald said Wednesday night as the postgame celebration continued nearby in the Seahawks locker room. "Pretty cool. First win for the Khosla Family, so gave them a game ball. It was really cool to have them there after the game. We're excited for them. I mean, what an electric atmosphere, just the emotions when the banner [was] unveiled. Just a really special night to be a Seahawk. Just really, really incredibly proud of our team. Thankful for the 12s. Just the amount of resilience. Think about all the things going on.

"I thought we played incredibly hard, stuck together. Our staff did a great job finding answers as the game went on… So proud to get the win. Also understand that it's the first game and we have a really great opportunity here to take our game to the next level. We talk about the '26 Seahawks and understanding our identity and who we are, that definitely revealed the type of team we have. We are a resilient, tough bunch that sticks together. I am really proud of the effort. Just really proud to be a Seahawk today."