The Seattle Seahawks opened their Super Bowl title defense with a win Wednesday night, but head coach Mike Macdonald came away with an obvious area to clean up.
Seattle was penalized 10 times for 98 yards in its 13-10 comeback victory over the New England Patriots, compared with New England’s seven flags for 50 yards. The Patriots also picked up three first downs by penalty, via the official NFL gamebook.
Macdonald did not dwell on the mistakes after the game. Instead, he pointed to cornerback Josh Jobe as an example of the response he wants from his team after a costly error.
Jobe was called for a 34-yard defensive pass interference penalty in the second quarter, moving New England from Seattle’s 36-yard line to the 2. Drake Maye found Eli Raridon for a touchdown on the next play, giving the Patriots a 7-0 lead.
Later, with the game hanging in the balance, Jobe delivered the play that sealed it.
Macdonald Praises Jobe’s Response to Costly Penalty
With New England trailing by three and facing third-and-5 from the Seattle 16 with 26 seconds remaining, Maye tried to make a play outside the pocket. His pass toward Mack Hollins sailed toward the right side of the end zone, where Jobe secured the interception and got both feet down.
The turnover allowed Seattle to kneel out the final 21 seconds.
Asked afterward what Jobe’s rebound said about him, Macdonald connected the moment to a broader issue Seattle had battled throughout the night.
“We had some penalties that we had to overcome today,” Macdonald said, according to Patriots.com’s postgame transcript. “But, it’s a play-by-play mindset.”
Macdonald described Jobe’s effort on the final snap as tremendous, emphasizing how the cornerback kept competing through the end of the play.
Jobe echoed the same theme in his own postgame remarks, saying he had to “play the next play” after the interference call.
That response mattered because his earlier mistake had directly contributed to New England’s only touchdown. The interference flag was Seattle’s longest accepted penalty of the game and put the Patriots at the doorstep.
Jobe finished with six total tackles, one tackle for loss and the interception, according to the gamebook.
Seahawks Escaped Week 1 Mistakes, but Penalty Issue Lingers
Seattle’s ability to overcome the flags was part of a larger night of survival.
The Seahawks fell behind 10-0, lost starting quarterback Sam Darnold to a hip injury and needed backup Drew Lock to guide the offense the rest of the way. Lock finished 16 of 22 for 187 yards and a touchdown, while Seattle’s defense intercepted Maye three times in the fourth quarter.
Nehemiah Pritchett and Julian Love grabbed the first two before Jobe finished the job.
Seattle also found its biggest offensive play when Lock hit Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 45-yard touchdown on fourth-and-1, tying the game at 10 early in the fourth quarter. Jason Myers later kicked the go-ahead 26-yard field goal.
The comeback gave Macdonald a result he could celebrate without ignoring the sloppiness that helped put the Seahawks in a hole.
Ten penalties and 98 lost yards can easily swing a one-score game. Seattle survived them in Week 1 because its defense kept creating opportunities and Jobe responded to his own costly flag with the night’s decisive play.
That sequence presented a clear snapshot of the understanding that mistakes will happen, but the next snap is still the most important one.
Seattle Seahawks’ Mike Macdonald Addresses Troubling Issue After Patriots Win