The Seattle Seahawks opened the NFL season with a comeback win over the New England Patriots on Thursday night, beating the team they defeated in Super Bowl LX eight months earlier.
Seattle played without quarterback Sam Darnold. Jaxon Smith-Njigba tied the game with a 45-yard touchdown on fourth down, and the defense took over from there.
Maye's fourth-quarter troubles
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye threw three interceptions in the fourth quarter. The last came on a toe-tap grab by Seattle's Josh Jobe that sealed the result. New England's night got worse when a player left the game with an ankle injury in his debut.
The rematch carried weight for both teams. New England reached the Super Bowl behind a defense that allowed only 26 points across three playoff games, while Seattle won the title 29-13 on the strength of six sacks and a pick-six.
What it means for the season
Both clubs are expected to contend again, and the opener gave an early look at how each has changed. Seattle showed it can win without its starting quarterback, leaning on a defense and a receiving group that produced a big play when the game was on the line.
New England's pass protection remains a question. Maye was sacked 15 times in the playoffs last season, and pressure on him again shaped the opener.
Seattle's title run in February was built on defense. The Seahawks sacked Maye six times in the Super Bowl, forced two interceptions and returned one of them for a touchdown, part of a night when New England's quarterback was under pressure on more than half of his dropbacks. New England's own defense had carried the team to the final, allowing 26 points across three playoff games, but in the opener the burden fell back on Maye and the turnovers followed.
The rest of the league's first week continues with a full slate of games, and the Champions League also returned with its opening round of matches.