One yard short.
The Patriots were on the cusp of a dramatic comeback Sunday night, but Seattle stopped Cam Newton on the 1-yard line as time ran out to escape with a 35-30 win over the Patriots in Seattle.
Newton, who finished 30-for-44 for 397 yards, one touchdown and one interception, as well as a pair of rushing touchdowns, was stopped on the goal-line as time ran out, giving Russell Wilson and the Seahawks the dramatic victory.
The Patriots fall to 1-1 with the loss, while Seattle improves to 2-0.
It was an amazing night for both quarterbacks. Wilson misfired on the Seahawks' first drive of the game — which resulted in a pick-six by Devin McCourty, the second of his career — but after that, he was almost perfect. He completed 12 passes in a row at one point, finishing 21-for-27 for 288 yards, with five touchdowns and one interception.
On the other side of the ball, Newton was effective for most of the first three quarters, but a second-half interception from Quinton Dunbar allowed the Seahawks to punch in a touchdown, giving them some separation.
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The Patriots, who were playing without running back James White — whose father was killed in a car crash earlier in the day — were up 17-14 midway through the third, thanks to McCourty’s pick-six, a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Newton, and a 25-yard field goal from Nick Folk.
But three touchdown passes from that point on for Wilson were enough to stretch the lead to 35-23 late in the fourth quarter. A late rushing touchdown from Newton, his second of the night, made it 35-30, and set the stage for the dramatic finish.
Here’s how the game unfolded:
11:29 p.m.: That’s it. A remarkable finish that comes; up just short for the Patriots. New England loses, 35-30.
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11:23 p.m.: Newton has them on the move with less than a minute to go. The ball is at the 36 with 39 seconds left.
11:14 p.m.: Say this about Julian Edelman -- he’s not giving up. He’s at 161 receiving yards tonight, a career high. That sets up Newton’s second rushing touchdown of the night -- with the extra point, it’s 35-30 with 2:16 to go. This one isn’t over yet.
11:06 p.m.: Honestly, the Patriots have played well tonight, but that sort of pass -- the 18-yard touchdown from Wilson to Carson -- was almost unfair. A terrific floater from Wilson, his fifth touchdown pass of the night to his fifth different receiver, makes it 35-23 with 4:32 to go in regulation. Not saying it’s over, but 12 points against this Seattle team (and at least one defensive stop to boot on a red-hit QB like Wilson) is an awfully tall order for New England.
10:56 p.m.: It’s not the only reason, but the fact the Patriots are 7-12 on third down is due at least in part because James White isn’t out there. New England is really missing him, specifically in those situations. That option pitch to Burkhead -- who has done pretty well as White’s replacement tonight -- almost ended in disaster. There’s 8:56 left in regulation, and the Patriots are down five. New England needs to get another stop of Wilson and the Seahawks here if they want a chance in this one.
10:43 p.m.: Terrific answer on that series for the Patriots, as Newton guided New England on a six-pay, 77-yard drive that was capped with a 1-yard pass play to fullback Jakob Johnson. The two-point conversion wasn’t successful, but it’s 28-23 with 14:14 to go on the game. The New England defense needs a stop.
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10:37 p.m.: End of the third, Seattle holds a 28-17 lead, but the Patriots are on the move.
10:34 p.m.: Ouch. Wilson throws his fourth touchdown pass of the night to Freddie Swain, and after the extra point, it’s 28-17 with 2:00 left in the third quarter. It’s clear there’s just no margin for error for New England tonight. While the Patriots are playing a pretty fair game, given the opponent, it’s clear their missteps -- the interception, missed field goal, settling for a field goal instead of the touchdown at the start of the second half -- are catching up with them.
10:29 p.m.: With 3:15 left in the third quarter, Wilson is 16-19 for 213 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. Meanwhile, Newton is 15-24 for 178 yards with one interception and one rushing touchdown. Good night for both quarterbacks, but Wilson has been a little better.
10:25 p.m.: Quinton Dunbar read that ball for Byrd perfectly and picked off Newton. It’s the first pick of the year for Newton, and it really sets up the Seahawks nicely. Big task looms for the Patriots' defense, and it needs to hold Wilson and Seattle out of the end zone here.
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10:20 p.m.: One of the good things about not having any fans in the stands for Patriots-Seahawks? You can really hear the pads pop. Man, this is really something. Big-boy football.
10:15 p.m.: David Moore beats Jason McCourty for a 38-yard touchdown pass. Man, just when you think you have Seattle down, Wilson comes back with a lightning bolt to give the Seahawks the lead. Just a tremendous throw and catch again on that deep ball from Wilson. If the extra point is good, and it makes it 21-17 with 7:04 left in the third quarter. This sort of football is just so emblematic of a New England-Seattle game -- guys on both sides of the ball just throwing haymakers on each other. Wilson is 15-for-18 for 199 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
Bill Belichick this week on Russell Wilson: “This guy’s a tremendous player. Honestly, I think he’s in a way maybe underrated by the media or the fans, I don’t know, but I mean I don’t really see anybody better than this player. He can do everything.”
10:13 p.m.: Gilmore and Metcalf have continued their beef, and after the latest play, it spilled over into the Seattle bench. These two guys are really going hard tonight.
10:09 p.m.: Twenty-five yard field goal from Folk makes it 17-14 with just over ten minutes to go in the third quarter. The Patriots did a nice job getting into the red zone, but they couldn’t punch it in, thanks in part to the nice open-field takedown of Newton by Adams. He only came over from the Jets just before the start of the season, but it feels like Adams is a real fit in this Seattle defense. I want to be really clear when I say this -- he’s not Ed Reed, but he plays a little like him in that you can never really tell where he’s going to be at any given moment ... but you also have to be aware of him on every play. Again, he’s not Ed Reed, but after a short time in the league, it’s easy to see why he’s trending in that direction.
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10:03 p.m.: Good, steady series here for New England to start the second half, as Newton has spread the ball around to a variety of receivers, including Edelman and Meyers. (Edelman has three catches alone on this drive.) We’re at a point where the Pats need to punch it in to make a statement.
9:47 p.m.: It’s tied at 14. The Patriots will get the ball to start the second half. In the meantime, a few halftime notes:
-This was an impressive first half for both teams. Usually, teams aren’t clicking like this until November, but it was two quarters of sharp football. The Seahawks took six penalties — and had one guy tossed after a hit to the head — but this was a tough, physical, intense battle. Let’s hope the second half is just as good.
-Let Russ cook? Sure. The guy was electric for much of the first half. I mean, he had the pick-six, but that was off a bobbled reception, so I’m willing to give him a pass on that one. (An artfully gathered in pick-six from Devin McCourty to get the game started on a positive note for New England.) But against arguably one of the best secondaries in the game, you go 13-for-16 for 152 yards with a pair of touchdowns? My hat is off to you, good man. A heck of a first half.
-A lot of Kyle Dugger in the first half as the box safety. Not sure what sort of snap count they might have had on him in the first two quarters, but he looked pretty natural out there. We’ll see how the second half unfolds. And while New England started in zone coverage to open the game, it looks like there’s been more man as the half went on. The matchup between Stephon Gilmore and D.K. Metcalf has been epic — Metcalf got the better of him on a terrific 54-yard catch-and-throw with Wilson in the second quarter.
-One more defensive note: Chase Winovich looks ready to hit the next level. Impressive and sustained pressure throughout the half, but he was at his best on a first-half sack.
-Rex Burkhead is playing the role of James White, at least for one night. In place of White — who was mourning the loss of his father in a tragic car accident — Burkhead was the leading option in the passing game for the first half with three catches on four targets for 35 yards. Nice opening for the versatile back.
-So Cam ran over to the TV to celebrate when he thought he scored, and I saw some grumbling on social media. He scored on the next play, so from this viewpoint, that’s his mulligan. Meh.
-A mixed bag from New England’s special teams to start this one, but Nick Folk missing a 51-yard field goal attempt late in the first half is a toughie. A 51-yarder is no gimme, but in a game that will likely be a close one, New England has to hope it won’t come back to bite them.
9:41 p.m.: Love this matchup tonight. Been a struggle for Gilmore to contain Metcalf, which speaks to the skill of the youngster.
Stephon Gilmore and DK Metcalf got into a bit after that last run by Homer. Cooler heads and a side judge prevailed. #Patriots
— Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) September 21, 2020
9:29 p.m.: No good on that field-goal attempt from Folk--51 yards is no gimme, but even after his good pregame, it’s still a cause for concern in a game that should be close. Anyway, the game is tied at 14 with 3:44 left in the first half. Seahawks will take over near midfield, but New England will get the ball at the start of the second half. Big sequence looming here for both teams.
9:20 p.m.: Impressive pitch and catch there on that 54-yarder from Wilson to Metcalf. Metcalf beats Gilmore, and the game is tied. Wow ... that was a lightning strike of a pass play. It’s tied at 14 with 6:57 left in the first half. This has been an impressive first half on both sides of the ball. Tough, smart, physical football from both teams. Feels like a November game, not one that is being played in Week 2. But again, no real surprise when you’re talking Patriots-Seahawks.
9:09 p.m.: Given the fact that Diggs is out, the defensive back situation for Seattle bears watching:
Seattle CB Marquis Blair immediately grabbed his knee after helping to bring down Sony Michel. Teammates have taken a knee around him. #Patriots
— Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) September 21, 2020
9:07 p.m.: Devastating pressure on that third-down play by Winovich. They mentioned it on the broadcast, but it’s really clear that Winovich is ready to get to that next level. Good, sustained pressure while blowing up a back in protection on the way to the quarterback. Great play that’ll force a Seattle punt. New England has a real chance to put an imprint on this one with a big drive here -- the Pats hold a 14-7 lead with 10:09 remaining in the first half.
9:02 p.m.: If the first quarter-plus is any indication, it really looks like we’re going to see two smashmouth teams committing to the run and playing good physical football tonight. (No surprise for a Pats-Seahawks game, to be honest.) It also looks like the Patriots have junked (for the most part) the zone coverage they were running early in the game. We’ll keep an eye out to see if any of it comes back, at least on a regular basis.
8:58 p.m.: Newton waits ... waits ... and then bursts through the line for a one-yard rushing touchdown to give the Patriots the lead on the second play of the second quarter -- 12 plays, 72 yards, and the extra point is good. New England is up 14-7 with 13:59 left in the first half. A very good start overall for the Patriots' offense, which has gone 3-4 on third and fourth down combined tonight.
8:52 p.m.: End of the first quarter. Game is tied at seven. Newton is 3-4 for 42 yards, Byrd has two catches for 29 yards.
8:50 p.m.: Wow ... Harry holding onto that fourth-down reception was something else. Tough, tough play for the young receiver who allowed New England to move the chains. Good to see Newton going to his guy a week after he committed that ill-timed turnover. And the Patriots get the penalty in there as well to get closer to the end zone while Quandre Diggs gets tossed for the night.
8:40 p.m.: For a large part of that Seattle drive, the Seahawks were doing to the Patriots what the Patriots did to Miami last week -- ground and pound, steady chunks of yards (a ton of them rushing) and finishing things off in style. Eight runs and five passes, and the Seahawks punch it in with 5:27 to go in the first quarter. We’re all tied at seven as the New England offense gets set to take over for the first time all night.
8:36 p.m.: Seattle running a really nice drive here in response to New England’s early touchdown. The Patriots were playing an awful lot of zone in the early going, which was a bit if a surprise. Looks like they have done back to more man here as the drive has continued. An interesting shift as we reach the halfway mark of the first quarter.
8:31 p.m.:
After the Devin McCourty @McCourtyTwins runs the tipped ball back for a TD, he says "2-8, we love you," a message to James White, who lost his father today. #Patriots @nflnetwork @AroundTheNFL pic.twitter.com/oAe2NmYtkR
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) September 21, 2020
8:27 p.m.: Not sure this one could have started any better for New England -- a 42-yard pick-six for Devin McCourty after a bobbled pass play on the part of the Seahawks. The Patriots are up 7-0 just 1:21 into the game. Great play by McCourty.
8:23 p.m.: Time for foosball! Patriots kicking off to Seattle -- New England has won the toss, and the Pats deferred.
8:19 p.m.: You guys are going with the Patriots in a close one. We’ll see.
Predict the outcome of tonight's #Patriots-#Seahawks game.
— Boston Globe Sports (@BGlobeSports) September 20, 2020
8:10 p.m.: As we get closer to kickoff, I’ve got back-and-forth on this one. In the end, I’m not sure the Patriots have enough offensive firepower to stick with Seattle. That’s not to say the Seahawks are all that overwhelming offensively. This is going to be a defensive battle, and I think the Patriots are going to use the emotion of the week to put together an impressive performance on the road. But in the end, I think Seattle will have just a little bit more. I’m going with the Seahawks, 20-14.
7:59 p.m.: Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth on the call tonight. The Patriots are 5-5 with them on the mic since the start of 2017 (including regular season and postseason).
7:39 p.m.: Not to ignore the real-world implications of the events of the week, but this contest sets up as a very emotional one for New England. First, there was the death of Bill Belichick’s mother earlier in the week. And on Sunday, the team got word that the father of James White died suddenly in a car crash. Small wonder that this scene played out on the field a few moments ago in Seattle. Going to be interesting to see how the team responds this week.
Josh McDaniels and Troy Brown just huddled with running backs Sony Michel, Rex Burkhead, and J.J. Taylor in what looked like a very emotional moment as the group copes with the loss of James White's dad, Tyrone, in a car accident. #Patriots
— Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) September 20, 2020
7:25 p.m.: Nick Folk is looking good in warmups, according to our guy Jim.
Nick Folk just converted back-to-back-to-back field goals of 43, 49, and 53 yards in warmups. #Patriots
— Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) September 20, 2020
7:23 p.m.: Most of the local betting sites have had the Seahawks as a 4- to 4.5-point favorite all week, and that’s the case as we get closer to kickoff. Feels about right -- I’d imagine that would be a bigger line if there were fans at CenturyLink tonight, to be honest. The really amazing thing when you’re talking about the betting line for this one? Tonight represents the first game for the Patriots as underdogs since Week 1 of the 2016 season -- that was the season-opener against the Cardinals that Jimmy Garoppolo started in place of Tom Brady, who was suspended four games because of Deflategate. It’s a streak of 64 games, according to CBS Sportrsline -- the longest streak of the Super Bowl era. That’s crazy.
7:14 p.m.:
Some pregame dribbling from Cam Newton. #Patriots pic.twitter.com/hXzNqQ9mF5
— Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) September 20, 2020
6:59 p.m.: The Patriots have announced their inactives for the evening:
-James White. According to multiple reports late Sunday afternoon, White’s father was in a car crash earlier on Sunday and did not survive. His mother was also in the car -- she is in critical condition. White is out of the lineup this evening.
-Josh Uche was ruled out earlier in the week with an ankle issue — this marks the second straight week the rookie has been inactive.
-Offensive tackle Korey Cunningham is inactive for the second consecutive week. He wasn’t on the injury report this week, so we’ll assume that it’s a personnel question, as well as a nod to how well Jermaine Eluemunor and Isaiah Wynn played last week against the Dolphins.
-Defensive back Myles Bryant also appears to be another healthy scratch.
-Quarterback Jarrett Stidham wasn’t on the injury report this week, but he’ll be inactive once again. That means Brian Hoyer is the No. 2 quarterback for the second consecutive week.
-Dalton Keene, who was limited on Friday with a neck issue, will also miss his second consecutive game. Figure on more snaps for the likes of fellow rookie tight end Devin Asiasi.
6:49 p.m.:
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll airing it out. Can’t confirm if he’s the emergency QB. We’ll keep asking. #Patriots pic.twitter.com/XEozSsAeN6
— Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) September 20, 2020
6:48 p.m.: According to our pals at weather.com, it doesn’t look like to be a weather game tonight in Seattle. The forecast calls for temps in the high 60s with partly cloudy skies and a five percent chance of precipitation. Between the fact that there will be no fans in the stands and little to no rain (at least by the sound of things), it likely negates any sort of home-field advantage the Seahawks might have had in this one. Can the Pats take advantage? We shall see.
6:35 p.m.:
Phillip Dorsett exchanged greetings with several former teammates, coaches, and staffers. #Patriots pic.twitter.com/bYcc0Vv8xj
— Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) September 20, 2020
6:22 p.m.: These contests between the Patriots and Seahawks have always been big games, or at least felt like big games. There was Super Bowl XLIX, of course, but there was also a classic from 2016 that came down to the last minute in Foxborough.
Seahawks. Patriots.
— NickFurry (@Nicklovesusall) November 15, 2016
Another finish at the 1-yard line. pic.twitter.com/KULeqjjDh0
— NFL (NFL) November 15, 2016
The 2012 contest in the Pacific Northwest -- the “U Mad Bro?” game that saw Seattle make a serious statement -- was also a terrific game. And the 30-20 win over the Seahawks in Foxborough in 2004 was the next-to-last victory in a New England winning streak that lasted more than a year. The figures probably aren’t nearly as compelling as they were in 2016, or Super Bowl XLIX. But the simple fact of the matter is that when these two teams face each other, it’s almost guaranteed to be a fascinating game. And this year is no exception: Can the Patriots take their show on the road successfully after their Week 1 win? Is this the year for Russell Wilson to win the MVP? How will the suddenly silent CenturyLink Field impact this one? All great questions we should get answers to this evening.
6:05 p.m.: Welcome to Week 2, everyone, where the Patriots and Seahawks are set to meet in Seattle for a Sunday night contest. Keep it here all evening long for the latest updates on what promises to be a compelling game. We’ll get things started with our usual pregame slate, which includes the latest betting line, weather news from the Pacific Northwest, the inactive analysis (which should drop just before 7 p.m.) and what’s going on out at CenturyLink Field. But first, we’ll give you your pregame reading list:
-Jim McBride: Bill Belichick has high praise for cornerback J.C. Jackson
-Ben Volin’s Sunday Notes: Patriots, Seahawks bring impressive defenses into Sunday night showdown
-Nicole Yang: N’Keal Harry appreciates the guiding hand of Cam Newton
-Jim McBride: Cam Newton quickly comes to the defense of young Patriots receiver N’Keal Harry
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at cpriceglobe.