It took just one game for Nehemiah Pritchett to reward Seahawks' trust

For the first two seasons of his career, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett wasn't trusted with many reps. He was terrible as a rookie in 2024, seemingly lost and slow to react. In 2025, he was only a tick better, though he had one great play against Marvin Harrison Jr. of the Arizona Cardinals when Pritchett knocked the ball away in the end zone.

In Week 1 of his third season, however, Seattle didn't have much choice but to see what Prtichett could do against the New England Patriots. The Seahawks had clearly been underwhelmed by their cornerback group in training camp and the preseason, and had signed Terrion Arnold and Trevon Diggs to help remedy the situation.

Based on how well Pritchett did against quarterback Drake Maye and the Pats, though, Pritchett might start having first dibs on first-team reps. The CB was terrific.

Nehemiah Pritchett helped change the course of Week 1 for the Seattle Seahawks

He played just 11 run-block snaps, but had three run stuffs. That is high-end efficiency. In coverage, Pritchett was targeted five times, and while three of those passes were caught, they only accumulated 18 yards with a long of 10. More importantly, the cornerback had an interception and another pass broken up.

One issue that Prtichett had earlier in his career was being physical. He whiffed on too many tackle attempts. This preseason, he was stronger and willing to hit ball carriers with force. That carried over to Week 1 against the Patriots. The cornerback did miss on one attempt, but he finished with five solo tackles, the third-most on the team.

Prtichett was tasked with covering elite wide receiver A.J. Brown twice (before Brown left the game with an ankle injury) and allowed just one catch for seven yards. The longest gain against the cornerback came in coverage against tight end Hunter Henry, which was almost an accidental assignment.

On the CB's interception, he was covering Romeo Doubs on a deep sideline pass and understood that he had help from safety Rodney Thomas II. Drake Maye tossed the ball, and Thomas was able to knock it away from Doubs; then Pritchett made a fantastic catch after tipping the batted ball in the air.

The combination interception was made even more impressive by both Pritchett and Thomas, as neither player was seemingly counted on to make a huge impact this season, and their play helped change the outcome of an important game.

The truth is that if the Seattle Seahawks don't have Nehemiah Pritchett in Week 1, the team might not have won the game. That is probably the first time that could be written about the cornerback in his NFL career. It likely won't be the last.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow