Dark Side defense helps Seahawks overcome an injury to Sam Darnold to win the opener

SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Seahawks showed that no matter who they have at quarterback, their Dark Side defense gives them a chance to win.

That proved to be true in the season opener when the defending Super Bowl champions overcame an injury to quarterback Sam Darnold and a 10-point deficit to beat the New England Patriots 13-10 on Wednesday night thanks in large part to three interceptions in the fourth quarter.

"When you think about Seattle, we want you to think about our defense, and what we are going to bring each and every day,” linebacker Ernest Jones IV said.

That defense will need to continue to shine given the uncertainty about Darnold's status after he left the game with a hip injury following the opening drive. Coach Mike Macdonald said on his radio show Thursday that it was a “muscle” injury and he wasn't sure if Darnold would miss any time.

Backup Drew Lock made just enough plays to give Seattle a chance, with his 45-yard touchdown pass to Jaxon Smith-Njigba tying the game in the fourth quarter following the first of three interceptions the defense made off Drake Maye.

The second pick set up the go-ahead field goal, and the win was sealed when Josh Jobe made a toe-tapping interception of a pass to the end zone with the Patriots in position to tie the game with a field goal or take the lead with a touchdown in the final minute.

“It was game on the line," Jobe said. "Like we talk about, we live in the death zone, and we came alive and we took the ball away. That’s what we talked about throughout the week, take the ball away and keep our eye on the ball.”

That was the formula that was so successful last season, when the Seahawks rode one of the game's stingiest defenses to win the title, capped by completely shutting down Maye and the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

Fourth-quarter defense. Seattle had three interceptions and three sacks in the fourth quarter to help fuel the comeback in another dominant defensive performance. The Seahawks were the first team in 11 years to have at least three interceptions and three sacks in the fourth quarter of a game they trailed after three.

Penalties. Seattle had 10 penalties for 98 yards and several were costly. Jobe committed a pass interference to set up New England's first TD and a roughing the punter on Chazz Surratt led to a field goal. The Seahawks also lined up offside on a successful fourth-down sneak to stop one drive and had an illegal shift to wipe out a TD pass on a drive that ended with a field goal.

Lock. The journeyman quarterback has bounced around the league a bit since being drafted by Denver in the second round in 2019. He delivered when it mattered on Wednesday night, with his TD pass to Smith-Njigba tying the game and then leading a go-ahead drive for a field goal later in the fourth.

Pass catchers other than Smith-Njigba. Last season's AP Offensive Player of the Year had 44.1% of the team's yards receiving in 2025 for the highest rate of any player in 13 years. He had 122 of the 200 yards passing in the opener, with no one else having more than two catches or more than 35 yards.

Darnold's status is the biggest question, but the team also had to play without safeties Nick Emmanwori (ankle) and Ty Okada (hamstring). Both could have a chance to play in Week 2.

0. The Seahawks committed no turnovers. Seattle turned it over 28 times in the 2025 regular season for the second most in the NFL. But the Seahawks had none in Week 18 and then became the only Super Bowl champion to commit no turnovers in the playoffs. With none in the opener, they now have gone five straight games without a giveaway for the first time in franchise history.

The Seahawks visit Arizona on Sept. 20 seeking their second 2-0 start in the past six seasons.

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Seattle Seahawks quarterback Drew Lock celebrates after winning an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, 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 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, is lifted by safety Julian Love as they celebrate Jobe's interception in the end zone during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs pleaded no contest Thursday to misdemeanor charges of battery and criminal damage to property stemming from a May altercation with his girlfriend during which she said he threw her to the ground.

Jacobs must pay a $1,000 fine plus court costs for the battery charge. Under an agreement with prosecutors, the criminal damage charge can be dismissed in a year if he fulfills terms that include staying out of trouble, avoiding the victim in this case, submitting to supervision, completing counseling and paying restitution to the victim.

“I fully understand the seriousness of the situation, and I take full responsibility,” Jacobs said during an appearance in a Brown County court.

Jacobs was arrested May 26, three days after Hobart-Lawrence police officers came to his Wisconsin home to investigate a disturbance. According to police, the woman told them that Jacobs grabbed her and threw her to the ground as she was trying to exit a garage door, causing her to hit her head. Police said Jacobs also took her phone from her while she was on the ground.

Police said they noticed redness on her face and neck and could feel a bump on the back of her head.

According to a criminal complaint, the woman’s statement was corroborated by surveillance footage from the camera system in the garage where the incident occurred.

Jacobs was charged in late August and the NFL subsequently placed him on the commissioner’s exempt list, which prevents the three-time Pro Bowl running back from playing or practicing but allows him to keep receiving a paycheck. Players on the commissioner’s exempt list may be allowed at team facilities for meetings, individual workouts, therapy and rehabilitation and other non-football activities.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said Thursday that the league is monitoring the case, which is being reviewed under the league personal conduct policy, and Jacobs remains on the exempt list. The Packers had no immediate comment.

Jacobs could face a league suspension.

David Chesnoff, one of the lawyers representing Jacobs, said the running back already has begun counseling.

“This plea reflects Josh’s acknowledgement of his actions and his acceptance of responsibility for these actions," Chesnoff said. “There are significant consequences for Josh, and he intends to meet all the requirements the court imposes under these negotiations.”

According to the criminal complaint, Jacobs’ girlfriend told police she had been looking through Jacobs’ phone and saw he was talking to other women, and that she threw his phone in anger without breaking it. She told police that Jacobs had her phone and she told him he could look through it.

Police said the woman indicated she tried to retrieve her phone from Jacobs, but he grabbed her arm. They left the home in separate vehicles but eventually returned, and the woman later grabbed a second phone from a duffle bag. That led to the events in which she was trying to exit a garage door.

Jacobs entered his plea three days before the Packers open the season at Minnesota.

He is coming off a 2025 season during which he rushed for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns. That followed a 2024 season in which he ran for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns while earning his third Pro Bowl selection.

Green Bay has no other running backs who rushed for more than 106 yards last season.

The only other running backs currently on Green Bay’s 53-man roster are MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson. The Packers acquired Johnson from Pittsburgh the day that Jacobs was placed on the commissioner's exempt list.

Lloyd is a 2024 third-round pick who has played just one game over the last two seasons due to a variety of injuries, but he is healthy now. Lloyd said Jacobs has offered him advice about this upcoming game by telling him to "just stay where your feet are” and to “just be yourself.”

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FILE - Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs stands on the field before a NFL preseason football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Aug. 28, 2026, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)