By JOSH DUBOW AP Pro Football Writer
SEATTLE (AP) — Sam Darnold left the game injured, the offense was stagnant and sloppy mistakes put Seattle in a hole through three quarters.
Then the Dark Side defense took over, Drew Lock made a few big plays and the Seahawks capped a Super Bowl banner-raising night with another win against the New England Patriots.
Lock led two late scoring drives and the Seahawks intercepted Drake Maye three times in the fourth quarter to overcome an early injury to Darnold and beat the Patriots 13-10 on Wednesday night in a Super Bowl rematch.
“I want to give our team a lot of credit because you know things weren’t really going where we wanted,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “We didn’t panic. We still liked our plan. We didn’t need to change what we were doing or anything like that. We just we wanted to stick to what we were doing, and the guys were just really excited to go back out there and play.”
The Seahawks were held to just a field goal through three quarters as Lock and the offense struggled to move the ball after Darnold injured his hip on the opening drive. Macdonald said initial tests showed Darnold didn’t break a bone, calling the news “positive.”
But the costly interceptions by Maye — last season’s MVP runner-up — turned the tide and made sure that the banner-raising night would end in happy fashion for the boisterous home crowd.
“We knew coming in it was going to be a four-quarter game and that’s who we are,” receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said. “We knew it’s going to be a dogfight and we love it. Whatever it looks like in the first half, second quarter, like we’re going to make it right. We’re going to keep fighting until the clock hits triple zero. So I was just happy to see that and to see that continue going forward this year.”
Maye overcame the first two picks to drive the Patriots into position to tie or take the lead in the final minute. But Josh Jobe made a toe-tapping interception in the end zone to seal the win.
“I was trying to get rid of it, and I realized Mack was back there in the back and I didn’t put enough on it to get it out,” Maye said. “It was unacceptable.”
Seattle trailed 10-0 but got a field goal in the third quarter and tied the game when Lock connected with Smith-Njigba on a 45-yard pass on fourth-and-1 following an interception by Nehemiah Pritchett.
Julian Love intercepted Maye on the next drive and the Seahawks took a 13-10 lead on a 26-yard field goal by Jason Myers. That set the stage for the defensive stand on the final drive.
The game started following a ceremony that featured the Super Bowl banner being raised and highlights being played on the video board. This was the third Super Bowl rematch in Week 1, with it last happening in 2016 when Denver celebrated its title with a win over Carolina.
The excitement turned to worry quickly as Darnold came up limping following a third-down sack by Dre’Mont Jones on the first drive. Darnold went immediately to the sideline medical tent and then back to the locker room before the next drive.
Lock, who threw just three passes last season, entered the game. Seattle’s offense was stagnant until the fourth quarter, but Lock made enough plays late to provide a signature moment of a career that has had few highlights since he was drafted in the second round by Denver in 2019. He won just eight starts in three seasons with the Broncos before coming to Seattle in the Russell Wilson trade. He left to be a backup for the New York Giants before returning to Seattle last season.
“It was a blast,” Lock said. “So proud of everyone around me tonight on the offensive side of the ball. I can’t say enough about the defense turning over the ball.”
The Patriots didn’t fare much better on offense but got the only score of the first half after Jobe interfered with offseason acquisition A.J. Brown on a deep flea-flicker pass and Maye found rookie Eli Raridon for a 2-yard score on the next play to make it 7-0.
A penalty helped set up the second Patriots score as well. Chazz Surratt was flagged for roughing the punter on the opening drive of the second half, setting up Andy Borregales’ 50-yard field goal.
Injuries
Patriots: Brown left the game with an injured right ankle in the third quarter and didn’t return.
Seahawks: S Nick Emmanwori (ankle) was ruled inactive before the game.
Up next
Patriots: Host Pittsburgh on Sept. 20.
Seahawks: Visit Arizona on Sept. 20.
___
See AP’s full NFL coverage here