NFL Recap | September 9, 2026
Seven months after Super Bowl LX, the Patriots and Seahawks picked right back up, and it ended the same way. Seattle lost Sam Darnold five plays into the night, trailed 10-0 into the fourth quarter, and still ripped off 13 unanswered points to open its title defense at 1-0. Below: how the comeback happened, the star and dud of the night, and how our preview calls graded out.
Same Result, Very Different Game
New England Patriots 10 @ Seattle Seahawks 13
New England controlled the first three quarters at Lumen Field. Drake Maye's second-quarter touchdown pass made it 7-0, and Andy Borregales pushed the lead to 10-0 with a 50-yard field goal set up by a roughing-the-punter penalty. Seattle, meanwhile, lost Sam Darnold to a hip injury just five plays into its opening drive.
Drew Lock quietly kept the champs alive in relief, finishing 16-of-22 for 187 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers. His biggest throw came on fourth-and-1 near midfield: a quick flip to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who outran the entire defense for a 45-yard game-tying touchdown with just over 11 minutes left. Jason Myers' 26-yard field goal with 5:50 remaining capped the 13-0 closing run.
Maye finished 23-of-33 for 178 yards and a score but threw interceptions on each of New England's final three possessions. Nehemiah Pritchett grabbed the first off a juggled deep ball intended for Romeo Doubs, and Josh Jobe ended it with a toe-tapping pick in the end zone with 26 seconds left, on a throw Maye never needed to make with a field goal and likely overtime sitting right there.
The injury report will hang over both locker rooms. Darnold never returned, and A.J. Brown left in the third quarter with an ankle injury, with Mike Vrabel offering no postgame update. Doubs went without a catch on three targets in his Patriots debut, and Seattle won despite committing 10 penalties for 98 yards, leaning instead on a 3-0 edge in the turnover battle.
STAR OF THE NIGHT
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle — 8 catches, 122 yards, and the 45-yard fourth-down touchdown that tied the game and flipped the night.
DUD OF THE NIGHT
Drake Maye, QB, New England — 23-of-33 for 178 yards and a touchdown, but interceptions on each of the Patriots' final three possessions, the last one in the end zone with 26 seconds left.
Tracking Our Calls
Our preview of this game took New England +3.5 (-102) and the Under 44.5 (-112). Here's how each call graded out against the final.
New England +3.5 — Hit. Seattle won by exactly three, so the Patriots stayed inside the number even in defeat.
Under 44.5 — Hit. The teams combined for just 23 points, clearing the total with three touchdowns to spare.
Season to date: Spread 1-0, O/U 1-0.
Week 1 rolls on Thursday night, when the 49ers visit the Rams at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the NFL's first regular-season game played in Australia. Our preview, with the line and both of our calls, is right here.