Against all odds, the Seattle Seahawks overcame what could've been a lethal blow to defend their crown. With a 13-10 comeback win over the New England Patriots, Mike Macdonald's team officially got their season off on the right foot, though some things that happened in the game might be easy to overreact to. After all, Week 1s are often not indicative of what comes after.
Of course, losing Sam Darnold so early in the game was — and still is — a major concern, but what matters is that they got the job done. They could've thrown in the towel, but that's not how they do things, and they're now riding an eight-game winning streak dating back to last season.
Mike Macdonald's team hasn't lost a game since mid-November, and while it's still way too early, all the criticism and outside noise got pretty quiet all of a sudden. That's why we 12s have to get loud and let the world know how great this team is, sharing three big overreactions from the Week 1 win.
3 bold takes from the Seattle Seahawks' big win over the Patriots
Jadarian Price looks like a superstar
There were some concerns about Jadarian Price and how he'd deal with the bright lights of the pros. Fans didn't get to see him in the preseason, and they just had to take insiders' words for it when they said he looked great.
Turns out they were right. Price was electric on every carry, and it felt like he should've been used much more, especially with Drew Lock at quarterback. He was shifty, aggressive, and looked like a big play waiting to happen on every touch.
The Seahawks gave George Holani eight carries, just two fewer than Price, and while we get where that's coming from, that can't happen again. Let the rookie roam free; he looks like a 1,000-yard rusher.
This defense can be even better than last year's
The Dark Side defense was missing two starters, and there were some doubts about the cornerback rotation behind Devon Witherspoon and Josh Jobe. Those doubts should be a thing of the past by now.
No Nick Emmanwori or Ty Okada? No problem. Julian Love was everywhere, Rodney Thomas II made plays, and Nehemiah Pritchett looked the part after being more of a liability earlier in his career. This secondary is special.
As for the defensive line, there were no surprises there. Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy set up a tent in the Patriots' backfield, and Uchenna Nwosu just smothered and manhandled every single Patriot who came even remotely close to him. It was a thing of beauty.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba is actually underpaid
Following his breakout campaign, the Seahawks made Jaxon Smith-Njigba the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. He only needed one game to make that four-year, $168.6 million contract look like a bargain.
Good players execute when everything goes their way, but true superstars put the team on their shoulders when everything is against them. JSN is clearly the latter, showing off in big times to keep the chains moving.
The defending Offensive Player of the Year hauled in eight catches on 11 targets for 122 yards and one huge touchdown on fourth down in the second half. He kept the offense on the field, made defenders miss, and reminded everyone just why he's the top dog in the league right now.
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