The Seahawks started the year in the manner they hoped to, even if it meant losing Darnold.
The Seattle Seahawks' season opener against the New England Patriots saw Mike Macdonald's team show why they were the Super Bowl champs.
They did what they needed to do on offense after they lost Sam Darnold after just five plays, and the defense, man, the defense continued to show that it deserves to be mentioned as one of the best in football.
Keeping the Patriots to just 10 points is a superb performance, so too was the offense's ability; after a rough start with Drew Lock (which was expected), they found their groove in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points.
Week 1 games can be tough because you never really know what you'll get, and when you assess them, how much stock do you really take in what you saw?
Well, for CBS Sports' John Breech, he's given Seattle a B+ grade for its Week 1 win.
“The defending champs have one of the deepest rosters in the NFL, and it showed during this stunning win," Breech wrote. "It's still not clear how much time Sam Darnold (hip) is going to miss after going down on the first possession of the game, but with the Cardinals and Commanders coming up on the schedule, the Seahawks might be able to survive a few weeks without him."
The big story from the game was Darnold's hip injury, which we now think is a glute injury.
There have been some reports that Sam might only miss a week or two; others think a month, so we have to wait on the Seattle medical staff for a definitive timeline.
With Lock playing as he did against the Patriots, no doubt Seattle will be confident in his ability to steer this ship in Darnold's absence, but it would likely hope he doesn't have to do it for a prolonged period.
Getting a win to start the season is great for momentum, as the entire offseason is built up towards that opening week.
And losing your starter five plays in isn't the greatest way to get things going, but the Seahawks fought on every play and managed a superb win over the Patriots.
A B+ grade? Fans will take that.
