Seahawks overcome Sam Darnold’s injury, rally to win Super Bowl rematch

A night that began in celebration of last season ended in celebration of the beginning of a new one.

In between came a lot of angst as the Seahawks lost quarterback Sam Darnold to a hip injury five plays into the game and were held scoreless for most of the first three quarters as the Patriots seemed intent on spoiling Seattle’s party by getting some revenge for their Super Bowl loss in February.

They appeared so intent that they drove from their own 27, where they took over with 5:50 left, to the Seattle 16 with 26 seconds left, in position for at least a tying field goal to force overtime.

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Patriots quarterback Drake Maye wanted more and lofted a third-down pass in the end zone to Mack Hollins.

It went to Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe who was able to barely get both feet in bounds for an interception that sealed a 13-10 win.

“It was game on the line,” Jobe said. “Like we talk about, we live in the death zone, and we came alive and we took the ball away. That’s what we talked about throughout the week, take the ball away and keep our eye on the ball.

“I had to make sure I had my feet in. That was the little detail I had to do. It was a blessing.”

It was the third interception in the game for Maye, each coming on New England’s last three series, allowing the Seahawks to rally from a 10-0 deficit keyed by the steady play of backup quarterback Drew Lock.

“That’s probably the No. 1 thing we have is we’re just going to find a way,” said safety Julian Love, who had one of the picks.

After the game came more good news as coach Mike Macdonald said that tests showed Darnold did not suffer a fracture when he injured his hip when sacked by former Seahawk Dre’Mont Jones on the fifth play of the game.

Macdonald said the team was “still working through” the specifics of Darnold’s injury but said “right now I think fracture is (ruled) out, which is great news.”

ESPN reported that Darnold was taken to Harborview Medical Center for a CT scan on his hip and that Darnold is scheduled for an MRI on Thursday.

The night began with the banner unfurling and Richard Sherman raising the 12 flag, all a few hours after the Khosla family was introduced as the new owners.

But the vibes turned ominous just five plays into the game when Darnold went down with his injury.

That put the offense in the hands of Lock, who had last seen meaningful action late in the 2024 season while playing for the New York Giants. He threw only three passes last season, completing two for 15 yards.

Receiver Cooper Kupp said the Seahawks were obviously distressed to see Darnold leave but added, “In the moment, you’ve got to find ways to move forward and to go out and win a football game.”

For a while, it looked like they were failing in that task.

The Seahawks punted following their first four drives and never got past the Patriots’ 46 in the first half.

The defense mostly played like its usual self other than a pass interference call on Jobe when he was beaten by A.J. Brown on a flea-flicker. That put the ball at the 2, and a play later the Pats led 7-0 on a scoring pass from Maye to rookie tight end Eli Raridon.

The second half didn’t begin much better when, after the Seahawks forced a punt, linebacker Chazz Surratt was called for a personal foul for running into Patriots punter Mitch Wishnowsky.

That led to a 50-yard field goal by Andy Borregales and a 10-0 Patriots lead with 11:49 remaining in the third quarter.

And the way the game was going and the offense wasn’t moving, it was tempting to think the Patriots were going to get some comeuppance for the Super Bowl.

But defense, special teams and one big offensive play turned the game around.

A Michael Dickson punt downed at the 6 helped flip the field and lead to a Jason Myers 30-yard field goal that made it 10-3 with 3:13 left in the third quarter.

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New England drove to the Seattle 45 as the fourth quarter began.

But Rodney Thomas II, playing safety in place of the injured Ty Okada, tipped the pass into the hands of teammate Nehemiah Pritchett, who caught it at the 3-yard line and returned it 30 yards.

The Seahawks faced a fourth-and-one at the Patriots’ 45 shortly after. 

The Seahawks eschewed the Barn Yard tush-push play and Lock hit Smith-Njigba at the 41 with a play-action pass. He was off to the races against a Patriots defense that was expecting a run. Barner and fellow tight end Eric Saubert helped lead a convoy for Smith-Njigba into the end zone and the game was tied at 10 with 11:28 remaining.

“I was happy it was a pass play,” Smith-Njigba said. “They thought it was a run. I believe they sent a blitz. My job was to find the zone and Drew did a great job of finding me. After that, it was just do what I do, just try to get upfield, protect the ball.”

Lock said Smith-Njigba was the third option on the play, but that “when 11’s just standing there, you’ve got to get him the pill.”

That tied the game at 10 with 11:28 left.

The Seahawks were helped on New England’s next series when Doubs dropped a pass for a gain that would have gotten the Patriots near midfield.

On the next play, Maye stepped up and tried to hit Douglas over the middle. But Love stepped in front of it at the Patriots 47 and down by contact at that spot with 9:20 remaining.

Lock completed three straight passes of nine, 11 and 11 yards to Barner, Smith-Njigba and Kupp to take it to the Patriots 12. The drive stalled there, but Myers’ 26-yard field goal put Seattle ahead 13-10 with 5:50 left.

Twice, the Patriots had fourth downs on their next possession and the Seahawks had a chance to secure victory.

But on the first, from the Pats’ 35, Maye scrambled for six yards. On the second, Maye hit Hollins for 11.

Suddenly, overtime seemed a near certainty.

But Love insisted the Seahawks didn’t lose faith.

“We don’t waver,” he said. “We don’t run from adversity. That’s just not the guys we are.”

They also seemed to catch a break when Maye got overly ambitious and went for the win. Jobe intercepted those plans and the ball, getting some redemption for the penalty that led to the Pats’ first TD.

“It’s the life of a DB, you know,” Jobe said. “Always gotta play the next play. I just talked to myself to play the next play. It’s a long game. Life of a DB, man, like I said.”

One of the team’s new owners, Neal Khosla, watched the frantic ending from the sidelines. Afterward, Macdonald gave the family the game ball.

“What an electric atmosphere,” Macdonald said. “… Just a really special night to be a Seahawk, man.”

Macdonald then realized he should also have given one to Lock for doing the most important thing — never turning the ball over. They ended with a 3-0 turnover margin, same as the 29-13 Super Bowl win in February.

“Drew Lock deserves a giant shout out for playing clean football,” Macdonald said before adding, “We can get so much better very quickly.”

It will help if Darnold isn’t out long, if at all.

That maybe he escaped a major injury made it a night that ended up being worth celebrating, after all.

Or, maybe a Seahawks fan would say, a game that carried the full Seahawks experience.

“I’m going to get a cardiac test before the next Seahawks game,” new owner Vinod Khosla tweeted afterward. “The team and 12s won it tonight. Hard to imagine a better roller coaster.”

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