Three late interceptions and a resilient backup performance saved Seattle’s season opener, proving this relentless unit can carry the team regardless of who starts under center.
The Seattle Seahawks raised their Super Bowl banner Wednesday night.
Then their defense reminded everyone why it was there.
Seattle's 13-10 comeback win over the New England Patriots wasn't pretty. Sam Darnold exited with a hip injury on the opening possession, the Seahawks fell behind 10-0 and the offense didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter.
None of it mattered once Seattle's defense took control.
Here are three hot takes from the Seahawks' season-opening win.
1. Don't call this defense back — it never left
The Seahawks don't need a few weeks to get their defense back into Super Bowl form.
They never left it.
Seven months after Seattle overwhelmed New England 29-13 in Super Bowl LX, the Seahawks held the Patriots to 10 points and 277 total yards in the rematch.
This wasn't another wire-to-wire beatdown. New England built a 10-0 lead early in the third quarter, and Drake Maye wasn't intercepted through the first three quarters.
Then Seattle flipped the game.
Nehemiah Pritchett intercepted Maye early in the fourth quarter. On Seattle's next offensive play, Drew Lock found Jaxon Smith-Njigba on fourth-and-1, and the receiver turned it into a 45-yard touchdown to tie the game.
Julian Love picked off Maye on New England's next possession. Seattle turned that takeaway into Jason Myers' go-ahead 26-yard field goal.
One final Patriots possession ended the same way, with Josh Jobe intercepting Maye in the end zone with 21 seconds remaining.
Three straight possessions. Three interceptions.
That's Super Bowl form.
Seattle won't sack quarterbacks six times or hold opponents scoreless through three quarters every week like it did against New England in February. Super Bowl form doesn't require recreating the Super Bowl every time out.
Championship defenses find different ways to take over games.
Seattle just found another one.
2. This defense can keep Seattle afloat without Darnold
The best news for Seattle after Wednesday's win is that initial testing ruled out a fracture in Darnold's injured hip.
What happens next remains unclear.
Darnold was set undergo an MRI Thursday, and Mike Macdonald said after the game that the Seahawks still need more information before determining what comes next.
But now we have some info, as on Thursday morning, multiple outlets are reporting that Darnold is expected to miss next week's game, but could miss just a few weeks in total.
As Darnold misses time, Seattle has reason to believe its defense can keep the season moving until he returns.
Wednesday was the proof of concept.
Lock entered on Seattle's second possession and eventually completed 16 of 22 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. He played clean football, avoided turnovers and made the biggest offensive play of the night when Smith-Njigba turned their fourth-and-1 connection into a 45-yard score.
Lock also understood exactly what was behind him.
"You got the best defense in the world, in my opinion," Lock said after the game.
That's the formula.
Seattle doesn't need Lock to become Darnold if the starter misses time. It needs him to protect the football, get it to players like Smith-Njigba and capitalize when the defense creates opportunities.
With this defense, that might be enough.
More than enough, even, to keep Seattle afloat until Darnold returns.
3. Winning ugly might be the most encouraging part
Seattle committed 10 penalties for 98 yards. New England controlled possession for more than 34 minutes. The Seahawks lost their starting quarterback on their opening possession and spent three quarters without a touchdown.
They won anyway.
There will be nights when Seattle's offense carries the load. There will be cleaner performances from the defense, too.
Wednesday showed what happens when almost everything gets uncomfortable at once.
The Seahawks stayed within striking distance, waited for the game to present an opening and then turned three fourth-quarter takeaways into the difference.
That's an important trait for a team trying to defend a championship.
Seattle didn't open 2026 with its best football.
Its defense made sure it didn't need it.
