Nehemiah Pritchett didn’t spend his first two seasons in Seattle looking like a player ready to matter. The Seahawks barely leaned on him as a rookie in 2024, when he looked overwhelmed and slow to process what was happening around him. In 2025, the arrow pointed only slightly upward, with one standout moment against Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Arizona Cardinals when he knocked away a ball in the end zone.
That’s what made Week 1 against the New England Patriots so striking. Seattle had questions all over its cornerback room after camp and the preseason, enough that the team brought in Terrion Arnold and Trevon Diggs to try to steady things. But with the chance in front of him against Drake Maye and New England, Pritchett delivered the kind of game that can change how a staff sees a player.
He was active everywhere. On 11 run-block snaps, he produced three run stuffs.
In coverage, he was thrown at five times. Three catches were completed, but they went for only 18 yards total, with a long gain of 10.
He also came away with an interception and a pass breakup.
The physical edge stood out too. Early in his career, one of Pritchett’s problems was finishing tackles.
He missed too many. This preseason, he looked more willing to strike ball carriers, and that carried into Sunday.
He did miss one tackle, but he still finished with five solo stops, which was third on the team.
Pritchett also took on some difficult assignments. He was matched up twice with A.J.
Brown before Brown exited with an ankle injury, and he gave up just one catch for seven yards. The biggest gain allowed against him came when he was on Hunter Henry, and that was described as almost an accidental assignment.
His interception was the kind of play that makes coaches trust a cornerback faster. Pritchett was on Romeo Doubs on a deep sideline throw and knew he had Rodney Thomas II behind him. Drake Maye let it fly, Thomas got a hand on the ball to break it up, and Pritchett finished the play with a terrific catch after the ball popped into the air.
That combined effort from Pritchett and Thomas mattered because neither was expected to carry that kind of weight this season. Still, they helped swing an important game.
If Seattle doesn’t have Nehemiah Pritchett in Week 1, it might not win. That may be the first time that’s been true in his NFL career. It probably won’t be the last.
In Other News...
Drake Maye Hit Could Leave Patriots Fans Wanting More After Loss
Drake Maye gave the Patriots a mixed afternoon in Seattle, moving the ball well enough to keep New England in striking range but also giving the Seahawks plenty of help along the way. He completed 23 of 33 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown, yet the three interceptions and three sacks were enough to tilt a tight game that ended 13-10 in Seattles favor.
The sequence that drew the most attention came when Seahawks linebacker Derick Hall was flagged for unnecessary roughness after a late hit on Maye, a play the NFL is now reviewing for possible further punishment. Maye stayed in the game after the hit, and while the Patriots left with another narrow loss, they now have a short week to reset before facing the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 20. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Keep Targeting Seahawks Talent After Another Seattle Departure
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Cabeldue entered the league as a 2025 sixth-round pick and saw action in a small but useful sample last season, logging snaps at multiple spots along the offensive line. For Seattle, his departure is another reminder of how quickly late-round development projects can become roster casualties, while for the Raiders it continues a clear pattern of looking toward familiar Seahawks connections as they build out their depth. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Opener Chaos Turned A Tense Win Into Something Else
The NFL season opener at Lumen Field had enough on-field edge already, but the scene in the stands briefly stole the attention away from the Seahawks and Patriots. A dispute over seating escalated when a Patriots fan allegedly would not move from seats belonging to other spectators, and what began as an argument turned into a physical confrontation that drew in ushers, security and police before order was restored.
For a few tense minutes, the football game was secondary to the disruption above it, a reminder of how quickly a night at the stadium can veer off script. The fan was eventually handcuffed, and while the crowd settled back in, the incident lingered as one of the stranger moments of an opener that already had plenty of bite. [Read more 🡒]