We are officially back to NFL football. As I expected, it took a while for the offenses to catch up to the defenses. The first game of a new season is rarely going to feature two perfectly polished offenses, and that was certainly the case tonight. What we did get was a defensive battle, major injuries, a comeback and a game that came down to the final seconds.
The Seattle Seahawks overcame losing starting quarterback Sam Darnold and falling behind 10-0 to defeat the New England Patriots 13-10.
First Quarter: Defense Takes Over
The first quarter belonged to the defenses.
Neither offense was able to establish much rhythm, and the opening 15 minutes ended scoreless at 0-0. Seattle also suffered the biggest blow of the quarter when Darnold injured his hip and was forced out of the game.
That left Drew Lock with the difficult task of taking over Seattle’s offense in the first game of the season.
Second Quarter: Patriots Strike First
New England finally found its rhythm with an impressive touchdown drive.
The Patriots established the run before using quick throws from Drake Maye to prevent Seattle’s pass rush from getting to him. New addition A.J. Brown drew a pass interference penalty that helped move New England down the field before Maye found Eli Raridon in the left corner of the end zone for the game’s first touchdown.
Seattle struggled to answer with Lock under center. New England took a 7-0 lead into halftime, while Darnold was officially ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Third Quarter: Seattle Comes Alive
New England added a field goal after halftime to extend its lead to 10-0, and for a moment it looked like the Patriots were beginning to take control.
Seattle finally found a spark.
Cooper Kupp made a spectacular catch to help move the Seahawks down the field. Seattle appeared to score a touchdown later in the drive, but an illegal shift wiped it away. Instead, the Seahawks settled for a field goal to make it 10-3.
Then the game completely changed.
Maye threw his first interception of the second half, giving Seattle another opportunity. The Seahawks eventually faced fourth-and-one, and instead of playing conservatively with their backup quarterback, they went for it.
Lock found Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and JSN did the rest, sprinting 45 yards for the touchdown to tie the game at 10-10.
Suddenly Seattle had all the momentum.
Fourth Quarter: Seattle’s Defense Finishes It
Things continued to unravel for New England.
Romeo Doubs dropped a catchable pass that helped put the Patriots behind the chains. Facing third-and-14, Maye pressed while trying to make something happen and threw his second interception of the half.
Seattle turned the turnover into another field goal to take a 13-10 lead. The Seahawks had an opportunity to potentially get more from the possession, but a costly delay of game penalty helped stall the drive and forced them to settle for three.
New England still had one final opportunity to steal the game.
With less than two minutes remaining, the Patriots faced fourth-and-nine with their season opener on the line. Maye delivered a clutch conversion to keep the drive alive and give New England one final chance.
But Seattle’s defense had the final answer.
With just 13 seconds remaining, Maye threw his third interception of the second half. Seattle took a knee, and that was ball game.
Seahawks 13, Patriots 10.
Seattle Finds a Way
This was not a pretty victory, but Seattle will not care.
The Seahawks lost their starting quarterback, trailed 10-0, had a touchdown wiped away by a penalty and still found a way to win. Lock deserves credit for stepping into a difficult situation, while JSN delivered the biggest offensive play of the night with his 45-yard touchdown on fourth down.
For New England, this one will hurt. The Patriots controlled the first half and had opportunities to put the game away, but three second-half interceptions completely changed the night. A.J. Brown also left with an ankle injury and did not return, giving New England another concern coming out of the opener.
Week 1 football is not always going to be pretty. Offenses need time to find their rhythm, mistakes happen and sometimes surviving those mistakes is enough.
Seattle survived.
Final Score: Seahawks 13, Patriots 10
Ethical Sports Takes Week 1 Picks Record: 1-0
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