The 2026 NFL regular season kicked off in spectacular fashion at Seattle’s Lumen Field on Sunday, where the defending champion Seattle Seahawks pulled off a thrilling late-game comeback to defeat the New England Patriots 13-10. The matchup marked the first time in a decade that the NFL campaign opened with a Super Bowl rematch, pitting the two championship finalists against one another in a clash that lived up to its pre-game hype.
The Patriots got off to a blistering start, building an insurmountable-looking 10-0 lead by the second quarter. Rookie tight end Eli Raridon not only scored New England’s opening touchdown but also claimed the honor of putting the first points on the board for the entire 2026 NFL season. The game took a major turn for the Seahawks just minutes in, however, when starting quarterback Sam Darnold was forced out with a hip injury on the team’s opening drive, leaving Seattle’s offense in the hands of backup signal-caller Drew Lock.
Lock slowly found his rhythm as the game progressed, jumpstarting the Seattle offense late in the third quarter to spark the comeback. The first scoring chance for the Seahawks came when kicker Jason Myers converted a field goal to cut the Patriots’ lead to 10-3, shifting the momentum firmly in the home side’s favor.
Seattle’s defense, nicknamed “the Dark Side” that dominated the Patriots in their previous Super Bowl clash, stepped up in the final quarter to deliver three critical interceptions of Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye. The first turnover came at the start of the fourth quarter, when cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett caught his first career interception after a deflected pass from rookie Rodney Thomas.
On the Seahawks’ next offensive possession, Lock connected with 2025’s Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba in open space. The wide receiver broke through multiple New England defenders to race 45 yards for the go-ahead tying touchdown, bringing the Lumen Field crowd to its feet.
The Seahawks’ defensive pressure continued moments later, when safety Julian Love notched his second interception of Maye. The turnover set the Seahawks up in field goal range, and Myers coolly converted a 26-yard kick to put Seattle ahead 13-10 with less than a minute remaining on the clock.
With 21 seconds left to play, the Patriots moved the ball into Seahawks territory, well within range for a game-tying field goal that would have sent the matchup to overtime. Instead of settling for extra time, head coach Mike Vrabel called for a pass play to secure the win on the final drive, a decision that backfired. Maye’s end-zone pass intended for wide receiver Mack Hollins was intercepted by cornerback Josh Jobe, sealing the victory for Seattle.
The result marked a rough opening day for Maye, who threw interceptions on the Patriots’ final three consecutive possessions. The only other game in which Maye threw multiple interceptions last season was the Super Bowl loss to the Seahawks. After the game, Vrabel acknowledged the costly turnovers, saying, “You can’t throw three interceptions. Drake knows that.”
Maye took responsibility for the final interception, calling it “unacceptable.” “We could have sent it to overtime at the worst, and the only thing I could do was turn the ball over,” he said.
For the Seahawks, the injury to Darnold was the only downside of the opening win. Head coach Mike Macdonald told reporters after the game that initial medical tests confirmed Darnold had not suffered a fractured hip, easing fears of a long-term absence for the starting quarterback.
The NFL’s Week 1 action continues later this week with a historic first: the league’s first ever regular-season game held in Australia. The Los Angeles Rams will face off against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne on Thursday, with kickoff scheduled for 01:35 BST on Friday.