The Seahawks’ opener in Seattle offered a pretty clear reminder of how they can survive even when the quarterback picture changes in a hurry. Sam Darnold left Wednesday night’s game with a hip injury, but the Seahawks still found a way to pull out a 13-10 comeback win over the New England Patriots.
Drew Lock took over and, after a quiet first three quarters, delivered when Seattle needed it most. The offense never really found a steady groove early, and the Seahawks were staring at a 10-0 deficit in the second half.
Then Lock settled in and made the throws that mattered, finishing 16-of-22 for 187 yards and a touchdown. The biggest one came on a 45-yard strike to Jaxon Smith-Njigba that tied the game in the fourth quarter.
That’s the kind of quarterback play Seattle can live with. It doesn’t have to be a weekly fireworks show, the kind that demands comparisons to Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes.
What the Seahawks need is a passer who stays composed, makes the right decisions, finds the open man, and keeps the offense from drifting off schedule. Darnold did that last season.
Lock showed he can at least step into that role, too.
The defense is what makes the whole thing work. Seattle’s unit turned the fourth quarter into a takeover, forcing three interceptions from Drake Maye. Josh Jobe capped it with the game-sealing pick in the end zone with 21 seconds left.
That’s the formula for this team. If the defense can swing games like that, the offense doesn’t have to carry a huge burden every week. And credit goes to Mike Macdonald’s staff as well, because Seattle didn’t flinch after losing its starter or after falling behind by 10.
There’s still more to learn about Darnold’s injury. Initial testing showed no fracture, and he is scheduled for an MRI on Thursday.
But if he’s out for any amount of time, the Seahawks at least walked away Wednesday with a blueprint. They don’t need a superstar to make it go. They need a competent NFL quarterback who protects the ball and lets a defense this good do the rest.
In Other News...
Seahawks Already Have A Dante Fowler Problem They Didnt Need
Dante Fowler Jr. arrived in Seattle on a one-year deal as a veteran pass-rush add, but his first game in a Seahawks uniform offered only a small sample of what the team might actually have in mind for him. In Week 1 against the New England Patriots, he saw limited snaps and did not record an official statistic, though he did help create a pressure that ended in an interception. For a defense looking to keep its rush lively, that kind of cameo at least showed a flash of why the signing made sense.
The broader question is whether that flash turns into anything more significant, because the Seahawks do not appear eager to overhaul their approach just to squeeze more out of Fowler. The defensive staff seems comfortable sticking with its current pass-rushing formula, which leaves Fowler in an uncertain spot if his role stays this narrow. For now, the veteran edge presence looks more like insurance than a featured piece, and that is not usually where a player wants to be this early in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Fans Have An Ugly Lumen Field Debate After Wild Opener Brawl
The Seahawks got the kind of opening night result that can energize a stadium, rallying past the Patriots after Drew Lock helped spark a comeback at Lumen Field. But alongside the football, there was an ugly scene in the stands when a seating dispute between a New England fan and Seattle supporters boiled over into a larger fight that pulled in multiple people and forced police intervention.
What happened next in the crowd is now part of the conversation around the opener, with the Patriots fan arrested and no further details on the charges released. For a fan base that came to watch a stirring finish on the field, the incident left a sour aftertaste and another reminder of how quickly a routine game-day argument can turn into something far messier. [Read more 🡒]
DreMont Jones Just Turned A Painful Patriots Hit Into Drama
The Seahawks got a jolt in their season opener against the Patriots when Sam Darnold went down with a hip injury after taking a sack from DreMont Jones early in the game. What followed off the field only added to the conversation, as Jones posted a video of the play on social media and immediately set off a mixed reaction from fans watching the aftermath as much as the hit itself.
Mike Macdonald later said there is no fracture, which at least cleared away the worst-case concern, but it did not answer the bigger question for Seattles season. Darnolds recovery timeline is still uncertain, and for a team trying to settle in early, the status of its quarterback now looms over everything that came out of an otherwise routine defensive play. [Read more 🡒]