Rich’s Biggest Takeaways from the Seahawks’ Season Opening Win over the Patriots

If you were real quiet the morning after, Rich said, you could hear the screaming from Boston. Chris added that some of it was coming from his house.

It didn't start that way. Rich watched Sam Darnold run out with a banner being revealed in Seattle, one of five quarterbacks starting week one who have won a Super Bowl. Rich thought about how far Darnold had come from the Jets throwing him out on Monday Night Football for his first career game, where he threw a pick six against the Lions, to becoming a champion.

Then came what Rich called the most Jet-like thing that could have happened to him. The last time a former Jets quarterback ran out as a Jet with a flag, Aaron Rodgers lasted four snaps before a routine-looking sack ended his night. Darnold had five snaps before going down, limping off, heading into the blue tent and then the locker room.

The Patriots, Rich joked, know better than anyone how to benefit from an opponent's backup quarterback. And for a while it looked like they would again. New England's defense got to Darnold, the Seahawks' run game with Jadarian Price looked good against a defense that had trouble stopping the run last year, the stadium was dead quiet going into halftime, and the Patriots took a 10-3 lead into the fourth quarter.

What happened next is what Rich expects everyone to be talking about until the Rams and 49ers kick off in Melbourne, and then again as New England comes home for the Steelers before road trips to Jacksonville and Buffalo. "Can Drake Maye hold on to the football? And who's he going to throw it to that can catch it?"

A.J. Brown, the prize addition for the prize quarterback, went down with a high ankle sprain. The other big receiver addition, Romeo Doubs, dropped what Rich called a perfectly thrown, on-the-run pass from Maye, wide open, because he turned upfield too soon. Maye's second of three interceptions came right after.

Rich laid out every place the blame could go. Doubs, Maye, the protection, Josh McDaniels for a game plan that didn't look diverse, Seattle's Dark Side defense, and backup Drew Lock, who struggled early and finished 16 of 22 for 187 yards and a touchdown.

The play of the night came off Maye's first interception. On fourth and short near midfield, Seattle went for it and hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who ran away from everybody. Rich credited Mike Macdonald for going for it, the new offensive coordinator for the call, and Smith-Njigba for showing "why he is a cut above most everyone else." Seattle's own bugaboo, Rich said, was the number of penalties it racked up.

Maye's final interception was the one that gutted New England. On third down, as the play broke down, Maye put it up for grabs instead of getting rid of it. "Throw the thing into the Puget Sound, for crying out loud," Rich said. "Hit the Ichiro statue." Josh Jobe made a great catch and got both feet down, and Rich pointed out that John Schneider had re-signed Jobe to a three-year, $24 million contract. "General managing coming home to roost."

Rich also noted the echo from that Rodgers opener. The Jets fell behind by 10, and their backup still beat the reigning AFC East champion Bills. The good news for Seattle, Rich said, is that Darnold looks like he's coming back.

Maye owned it afterward. "We had the game under control," he said. "We lost patience and it cost us. I think it just, you know, decisions that cost us the game, on my part and on my end." He called the mistakes unacceptable. "That wasn't how I play football."

Mike Vrabel's response was what Rich expected, a coach who doesn't like it but knows who the meal ticket is. "We have nothing but the utmost confidence in him," Vrabel said.

Rich's 15-year-old son, Cooper, a Patriots, Celtics and Yankees fan, was despondent, and so was Chris. Rich asked which was worse: losing a winnable game in a tough spot because of fixable ball security, or losing to the Raiders at home like last year before making the Super Bowl anyway. Chris didn't hesitate. "Oh, the Raiders loss was much better than this."

Chris was more bothered by the coaching than by Maye's "rookie mistakes" in year three. He thought McDaniels was way too conservative. Brown didn't get a target on the opening drive, and his first target was a five-yard out. "First play of the game needs to be bombs away," Chris said. Maye also underthrew a flea flicker to Brown, though Rich pointed out it drew pass interference and led to a touchdown anyway.

Chris's outlook from New England: "It looks like a 6-11 season incoming right now, unless some major changes are made." He believes Brown will be out at least a month, and he isn't happy that Doubs was given number 87. "You have to be a dog to wear 87."

Chris conceded it's just one game, then recalled predicting a possible 1-3 start and claimed Rich promised to eat Del Tufo's hat over it. Rich had no memory of that.

On Seattle's side, the story was the defense, which came up with three takeaways and two sacks in the fourth quarter. Cooper Kupp made great plays "cuz he's Cooper freaking Kupp," Smith-Njigba made the first electric play of the season, and Lock understood his assignment. As Rich recalled, Lock told Melissa Stark his job was to protect the football.