SEATTLE – Ernest Jones IV’s face was bruised and battered, blood creeping from a bandage applied to the outside edge of his puffy left eye. He certainly had the look of a prize fighter who had emerged victorious after going the distance.
“It’s a 12-round fight, man, that’s all it is,” Jones, a linebacker and team captain, said in the Lumen Field locker room Wednesday night after the Seattle Seahawks got off the mat to mount a late charge to a 13-10 victory over the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl 60 rematch that kicked off the NFL’s 2026 season.
“Just a normal day at the office.”
But it wasn’t. Not really.
The Seahawks may be the league’s reigning heavyweight and perhaps the football version of Rocky – tough, relentless and full of heart, if
not exactly a champion out of central casting ... and maybe a touch disrespected as a result. Then their quarterback, Sam Darnold, was lost to a hip injury after the season’s first drive, and an offense already under the leadership of rookie coordinator Brian Fleury needed more than a half before it stopped wobbling. Budding star safety Nick Emmanwori sat out amid his ongoing recovery from ankle surgery in July.
But it wasn't enough adversity to end a winning streak that now stands at 11 games.
“Really remarkable. So proud to get the win,” Seattle coach Mike Macdonald said.
“We talk about the '26 Seahawks and understanding our identity and who we are – that definitely revealed the type of team we have. We have a resilient, tough bunch that sticks together. I am really proud of the effort. Just really proud to be a Seahawk today.”
But while New England is certainly a worthy challenger for the belt, losing a split decision in a non-title bout Wednesday after getting knocked out by the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, the Patriots are not Ivan Drago.
Drago, aka the Los Angeles Rams – the foreboding, seemingly invincible machine coming for Rocky’s crown – fight the formidable San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night in Australia. The Rams, who were perhaps one play away from supplanting Seattle as the NFC’s Super Bowl entry earlier this year, are notably new and improved following the offseason trade for two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett (talk about an imposing monster from central casting), the return of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald (talk about an imposing monster from central casting) and acquisitions of former Kansas City Chiefs cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Adding a quartet of that caliber to a loaded roster that already had ample glitz and glam, and the Rams look the part of a prohibitive favorite.
Meanwhile, Rocky – meaning the Seahawks – know they’re being counted out in plenty of quarters because the tale of the tape doesn’t favor them.
“They’re easily motivated, because there’s a lot of noise out there about how great the L.A. Rams are, and that’s low-hanging fruit for Coach Macdonald as he motivates and gets this group rightly focused to answer,” longtime Pittsburgh Steelers coach and new NBC analyst Mike Tomlin said prior to Wednesday night’s kickoff.
“And that is real.”
And so are intangibles, even if they can’t be quantified.
Darnold may never be a league MVP like Rams QB Matthew Stafford, but he is beloved in a close-knit Seattle locker room. The admiration for and trust in backup quarterback Drew Lock, who led the Seahawks to the final 13 points of Wednesday night’s win, was nearly as evident following the win.
Macdonald has fostered a winning culture focused on “chasing edges,” relentlessly seeking small advantages that can lead to massive results in crucial situations. And while he may not have players the caliber of Stafford, Garrett, Donald, McDuffie and Puka Nacua, Seattle also showed it’s not relying on a top-heavy roster but one imbued with depth and hungry, less-established players throughout
Who are Josh Jobe and Nehemiah Pritchett? Unsung Seattle corners who both picked off New England’s Drake Maye, the runner-up to Stafford for league MVP in 2025, Wednesday – Jobe pilfering Maye’s final pass into the end zone to secure the victory. Who is Jadarian Price? A rookie running back charged with replacing departed Super Bowl 60 MVP Kenneth Walker III. Price showed glimpses of the slashing game-breaker he could soon be as a pro, and there was a feeling from Macdonald and others that he’s already earned more touches moving forward than the 12 he got in his pro debut.
“We practice like hell. Those guys are going to get their reps,” Jones said.
“And we trust guys like Drew, we trust guys in the secondary who are coming up. It’s a trust thing, and it’s something we’ve built through care.
And now the Seahawks have the first win of the season in hand and 11 days to recuperate before their next game (against the lowly Arizona Cardinals) while the Rams sandwich 30 hours worth of trans-Pacific flight time around what should be a stern test from the Niners.
The Seahawks have passed their first exam, armed with the knowledge more studying will be required to beat the Rams, whom they don’t face for the first time until Christmas.
“It was the perfect type of game that you’d want for Week 1. Lot of adversity. Wasn’t very clean. But we stuck together,” said safety Julian Love, who had Seattle’s third pick off Maye.
“That’s probably the number one thing that we have is we’re just going to find a way. It might be scoring a bunch of points, it might be shutting out a team, special teams making plays, whatever. We’ll find a way. I think that’s a sign of a great team is just to be able to do it multiple ways."
Your move, Drago.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Rams built a super team. Seattle showed why they own Super Bowl
