The Seattle Seahawks kicked off their 2026-2027 campaign with a tough win at home against a much-improved Patriots squad. These three Seahawks saw a big jump in their stock after the hard-fought victory.
I know some folks might think calling New England "much improved" is a stretch. After all, they were 14-3 last year, the same record as Seattle. But as I wrote last year leading into the title game, 14-3 in the NFL's toughest division is miles away from that record in one of the league's weakest. And we all saw what happened in that final game.
Last night's game told a different story. Losing Sam Darnold on the first series of the game certainly didn't help. Sadly, this may be the best lesson for those doubters who said the Seahawks won it all despite Darnold, instead of because of him. A reminder to all - more than any other sport, NFL football is a team endeavor. As Mike Macdonald is fond of saying, it's a 70-man squad.
These 3 Seattle Seahawks' prospects look even better after the Week 1 win
Quarterback Drew Lock
It's pretty comical when you read things like the Seahawks were forced to play most of the game with their backup quarterback. I mean, yes, that is correct. It's also a gross understatement. Seattle lost QB Sam Darnold on the fifth play of the night.
Backup Drew Lock was then under center for the remaining 43 plays. That's 89.6 percent of the game, so let's adjust that "most of the game" picture to virtually the entire contest.
Lock got off to a slow start; there's no way around that. The Seahawks only produced 120 yards of offense in the first half, with 42 of those courtesy of rookie running back Jadarian Price. But when the game was in the balance, Lock put points on the board.
I'm not going to say 13 points is exactly a scoreboard explosion. But it was enough. Especially for a player who's had so few reps with the first unit. Even if Darnold misses some time, I believe the 12s felt a collective sigh of relief to see their backup come through at the end,
Cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett
After getting just 91 snaps last year, Pritchett was pressed into duty with Woolen's departure. Now, I'm not going to say the Seattle coaching staff didn't have complete faith in him.
Interestingly, they signed Terrion Arnold to a deal, knowing he might not be available for months. And as you know, Trevon Diggs joined the team just three weeks ago. Despite that, it's clear now that Mike Macdonald and Aden Durde had more faith in Prichett than I did.
I've spent most of the offseason dogging the third-year corner out of Auburn as a wasted pick. That's basically what I did last season, too, on the rare occasions his name ever came up. After tonight, I will address him only as Mister Pritchett.
He played as well tonight as we ever saw Riq Woolen perform on the field. Two pass breakups and the first interception of the game, which swung the momentum Seattle's way. It's just one game, sure, but it looks like he just earned plenty of breathing room.
Safety Rodney Thomas II
No Nick Emmanwori, no Ty Okada, no problem, as it turns out. Thomas wasn't even activated from the Seahawks ready squad (that's the practice squad everywhere else) until just hours before the kickoff. Until his injury on Sunday, Okada was getting all the first-team reps with the defense. So no big deal, right? Just step into a starting role on the best defense in the league.
Well, Thomas made it work, and then some. That sweet pick by Pritchett wouldn't have happened if the former Colts player hadn't skyed over Patriots receiver Romeo Doubs and tipped the ball to Pritchett. He jumped from the Indianapolis doghouse to the Seattle penthouse in one night with that play. He looked more than solid all night.
Will their stars continue to rise? To be honest, my feelings wouldn't be hurt if we only see Lock in mop-up duty the rest of the way. Hopefully Emmawori and Okada return very soon and relegate Thomas to spot duty. As for Pritchett, I'm all in on his arrival.
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