New England
Patriots
0-0
35
FINAL
28
Seattle
Seahawks
0-0
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling season opener, the New England Patriots narrowly defeated the Seattle Seahawks 35-28, setting the stage for an exciting 2026 campaign. Both teams showcased their offensive prowess, but it was the Patriots who ultimately emerged victorious, thanks to a strong second-half performance.
TreVeyon Henderson was the standout on the ground for New England, rushing for an impressive 179 yards and contributing a crucial touchdown. Meanwhile, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold put up 266 passing yards and two touchdowns, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba leading Seattle's receiving corps with 102 yards. The offensive fireworks kept fans on the edge of their seats throughout the contest.
Defensively, the Patriots made key plays that turned the tide in their favor. Kevin Byard III led the team with four total tackles, while Gabe Jacas recorded a critical sack. The game-changing moment came when Robert Spillane intercepted a Darnold pass in the fourth quarter, halting a Seattle drive and allowing New England to maintain their lead.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Darnold | QB | 26 | 16 | 62% | 266 | 2 | 2 | 89.5 |
| Drake Maye | QB | 16 | 9 | 56% | 104 | 1 | 0 | 96.8 |
| A.J. Barner | TE | 1 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.0 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TreVeyon Henderson | HB | 19 | 179 | 9.4 | 15 | 3 | 65 | 0 |
| Rashid Shaheed | WR | 2 | 60 | 30.0 | — | 2 | 57 | 0 |
| Emanuel Wilson | HB | 8 | 30 | 3.8 | 8 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Romeo Doubs | WR | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| A.J. Barner | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Zach Charbonnet | HB | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cooper Kupp | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Drake Maye | QB | 2 | -2 | -1.0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba | WR | 4 | 102 | 25.5 | 16 | 1 | 46 | 1 |
| A.J. Barner | TE | 5 | 78 | 15.6 | 43 | 1 | 42 | 1 |
| Hunter Henry | TE | 3 | 46 | 15.3 | 19 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| A.J. Brown | WR | 2 | 25 | 12.5 | 13 | 1 | 18 | 0 |
| Rashid Shaheed | WR | 1 | 21 | 21.0 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Emanuel Wilson | HB | 3 | 18 | 6.0 | 33 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Will Dissly | TE | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 11 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Mack Hollins | WR | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Elijah Arroyo | TE | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | — | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| Cooper Kupp | WR | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Romeo Doubs | WR | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| TreVeyon Henderson | HB | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Reggie Gilliam | FB | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Byard III | FS | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Robert Spillane | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Marcus Jones | CB | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Gabe Jacas | LEDG | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bobby Wagner | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darius Muasau | MIKE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Trey Taylor | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Craig Woodson | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Christian Gonzalez | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeMarcus Lawrence | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Emmanwori | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Milton Williams | DT | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ja'Whaun Bentley | MIKE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Derick Hall | LEDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leonard Williams | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dell Pettus | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Jobe | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carlton Davis III | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Drake Thomas | WILL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Julian Love | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sione Takitaki | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devon Witherspoon | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bud Clark | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Claudin Cherelus | SAM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Christian Elliss | WILL | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andres Borregales | K | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Jason Myers | P | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Bryce Baringer | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Dickson | K | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

