Seahawks pick off Drake Maye 3 times to beat Patriots 13-10 in Super Bowl rematch

SEATTLE (AP) — Sam Darnold left the game injured, the offense was stagnant and sloppy mistakes put Seattle in a hole through three quarters.

Then the Dark Side defense took over, Drew Lock made a few big plays and the Seahawks capped a Super Bowl banner-raising night with another win against the New England Patriots.

Lock led two late scoring drives and the Seahawks intercepted Drake Maye three times in the fourth quarter to overcome an early injury to Darnold and beat the Patriots 13-10 on Wednesday night in a Super Bowl rematch.

“I want to give our team a lot of credit because you know things weren’t really going where we wanted,” coach Mike Macdonald said. “We didn’t panic. We still liked our plan. We didn’t need to change what we were doing or anything like that. We just we wanted to stick to what we were doing, and the guys were just really excited to go back out there and play.”

The Seahawks were held to just a field goal through three quarters as Lock and the offense struggled to move the ball after Darnold injured his hip on the opening drive. Macdonald said initial tests showed Darnold didn't break a bone, calling the news “positive.”

But the costly interceptions by Maye — last season's MVP runner-up — turned the tide and made sure that the banner-raising night would end in happy fashion for the boisterous home crowd.

“We knew coming in, it was going to be a four-quarter game, and that’s and that’s who we are,” receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said. “We’re going to fight. We knew it’s going to be a dogfight, and we love it. Whatever it looks like in the first half, second quarter, like we’re going to make it right. We’re going to keep fighting until the clock hits triple zero. So I was just happy to to see that and to see that continue going forward this year.”

Maye overcame the first two picks to drive the Patriots into position to tie or take the lead in the final minute. But Josh Jobe made a toe-tapping interception in the end zone to seal the win.

“I was trying to get rid of it, and I realized Mack was back there in the back and I didn’t put enough on it to get it out,” Maye said. “It was unacceptable.”

Seattle trailed 10-0 but got a field goal in the third quarter and tied the game when Lock connected with Smith-Njigba on a 45-yard pass on fourth-and-1 following an interception by Nehemiah Pritchett.

Julian Love intercepted Maye on the next drive and the Seahawks took a 13-10 lead on a 26-yard field goal by Jason Myers. That set the stage for the defensive stand on the final drive.

The game started following a ceremony that featured the Super Bowl banner being raised and highlights being played on the video board. This was the third Super Bowl rematch in Week 1, with it last happening in 2016 when Denver celebrated its title with a win over Carolina.

The excitement turned to worry quickly as Darnold came up limping following a third-down sack by Dre’Mont Jones on the first drive. Darnold went immediately to the sideline medical tent and then back to the locker room before the next drive.

Lock, who threw just three passes last season, entered the game. Seattle’s offense was stagnant until the fourth quarter, but Lock made enough plays late to provide a signature moment of a career that has had few highlights since he was drafted in the second round by Denver in 2019. He won just eight starts in three seasons with the Broncos before coming to Seattle in the Russell Wilson trade. He left to be a backup for the New York Giants before returning to Seattle last season.

“It was a blast,” Lock said. “So proud of everyone around me tonight on the offensive side of the ball. I can't say enough about the defense turning over the ball.”

The Patriots didn’t fare much better on offense but got the only score of the first half after Jobe interfered with offseason acquisition A.J. Brown on a deep flea-flicker pass and Maye found rookie Eli Raridon for a 2-yard score on the next play to make it 7-0.

A penalty helped set up the second Patriots score as well. Chazz Surratt was flagged for roughing the punter on the opening drive of the second half, setting up Andy Borregales’ 50-yard field goal.

Patriots: Brown left the game with an injured right ankle in the third quarter and didn’t return.

Seahawks: S Nick Emmanwori (ankle) was ruled inactive before the game.

Patriots: Host Pittsburgh on Sept. 20.

Seahawks: Visit Arizona on Sept. 20.

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) intercepts a pass intended for New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas (3) as Seattle Seahawks player Rodney Thomas II (24) looks on during the second half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) CORRECTION: Corrects player at left to Seattle Seahawks Rodney Thomas II, instead of New England Patriots Dell Pettus

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe, top right, celebrates after intercepting a pass in the end zoe with teammates including safety Julian Love, bottom right, during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Josh Jobe (29) intercepts a pass in the end zone intended for New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins (13) during the second half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

A Seattle Seahawks fan cheers during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) throes a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Seahawks safety Rodney Thomas II (24) goes up for a pass intended for New England Patriots wide receiver Romeo Doubs (87) as Seattle Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (28), right, looks for and will intercept the ball during the second half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock (2) throws under pressure during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love (20) intercepts a pass intended for New England Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas (3) as New England Patriots safety Dell Pettus (24) looks on during the second half of an NFL football game, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Social Security Administration projected Wednesday that the annual cost-of-living adjustment for older adults and people with disabilities will go up by 3.6% beginning in 2027, with some recipients complaining that is not enough to offset soaring prices.

The adjustment translates to $75 extra per month for the nearly 72 million people who receive monthly Social Security benefits and about 7.3 million beneficiaries who get Supplemental Security Income.

The announcement comes as inflation adds pressure on household budgets and businesses and as midterm elections are weeks away.

The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for retirees and disabled beneficiaries is financed by payroll taxes collected from workers and their employers, up to a certain annual salary. That is set to increase to $192,300 in 2027, from $184,500 in 2026.

The agency's commissioner, Frank Bisignano, said in a statement that the adjustment will give recipients “greater financial stability.”

Some older adults feel the increase is a drop in the bucket as inflation has eaten away at monthly savings. The government reported Wednesday that inflation accelerated in September, with the consumer price index rising 3.7% in September compared with a year ago and gas prices have spiked in the wake of renewed fighting between the United States and Iran.

Nancy Altman, president of the Social Security Works advocacy group, said the latest inflation data shows that “as important as the Social Security COLA is, it is not keeping up with prices.”

Lorrie Ufkin, a 71-year-old retiree who lives outside Rochester, Minnesota, said the COLA will not put a dent in her healthcare costs, which are set to increase after the Trump administration concludes at year's end a temporary Medicare Part D subsidy program that has helped offset premiums. Ufkin said that her premiums and drug cost are expected to rise, although the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has projected a modest increase for most people.

The COLA “doesn’t even meet what they’re going to do for changes to Medicare,” she told The Associated Press.

She said one of the medications both she and her husband take will go from $11 per month for each prescription, to $200 per month, after Republican administration changes made to older Americans' healthcare programs. She said that was “catastrophic.”

Senior advocacy groups say the COLA is a strong reminder of the financial straits of many older people.

“There’s a lot on the line financially right now for older Americans — one in five have no retirement savings, and more people feel financially insecure this year than last. That makes Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment critically important,” said AARP CEO Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan.

Jaime Jakubczak, a 68-year-old resident of Buffalo, New York who retired early at 55, has recently gone back to work to make ends meet, specifically to afford rising property taxes. He said the COLA is insufficient because it is offset by high inflation and a proposed 3.9% property tax increase in his town.

Jakubczak called the 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment “a pittance," given how high food, healthcare and gasoline prices have become across the country.

“We were getting ahead a little bit with the COLA based on inflation, but the inflation is so high that it doesn’t offset what our COLA allowance is," he said.

Most older adults believe the COLA isn’t adequately keeping up with inflation, according to an AARP poll from September. That poll found that about three-quarters of those 50 or older disagreed with the idea that a 3.5% COLA in 2027 would be enough to keep up with rising prices.

The Social Security Administration faces a looming bankruptcy date if a funding shortfall is not addressed by Congress.

The June 2026 Social Security and Medicare trustees’ report states that Social Security’s combined trust funds — which cover old age and disability recipients — will be unable to pay full benefits beginning in 2034. After that, incoming revenue would cover about 83% of scheduled benefits.

While a permanent solution for shoring up the benefits program has not been passed into law, lawmakers on the Hill have called for new measures to replenish the trust funds.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, in June proposed lifting the Social Security payroll tax cap, which is a maximum amount of earnings taxable. Treating all income the same "would generate substantial revenue that would extend the solvency of Social Security for another generation,” they wrote in The New York Times.

The move is controversial because Republicans have traditionally criticized calls to raise taxes on the wealthy.

The Peterson Foundation estimates that lifting the payroll tax cap would add roughly $3 trillion into the program over the next 10 years.

Both the Trump and Biden administrations signed into law new benefits for retirees, which boosted their finances, but simultaneously accelerated the insolvency of the old-age benefits program.

The Trump administration, as part of Republicans’ tax and spending bill, gave a temporary tax deduction for people 65 and over, which applies to all income — not just Social Security. But those who aren't able to claim the deduction include the lowest-income older adults who already don’t pay taxes on Social Security, those who choose to claim their benefits before they reach 65 and those above a defined income threshold.

Additionally, Democratic President Joe Biden in 2024 repealed two federal policies — the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset — that previously limited Social Security payouts for roughly 2.8 million people, including largely former public workers.

FILE - The Social Security Administration office is seen in Mount Prospect, Ill., Oct. 12, 2022.(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)