Tyrel Dodson beat Rhamondre Stevenson and the New England Patriots on the biggest defensive play of the game.
A day later, on the opposite side of the country, the Seahawks middle linebacker couldn't put away grade-schooler Emerson.
In Mario Kart, that is.
"There's one guy, Emerson. He gave me a run for my money," Dodson, 26, said of the boy, the Seahawk estimates to be no more than 8 years old, zooming past him in the video game they played Monday.
Emerson is a patient at Seattle Children's Hospital. He's one of hundreds of kids who are sick, injured and at risk living each day as a patient at one of the West Coast's premier pediatric research and medial centers.
Of course Emerson would rather have been in school with his friends than inside Seattle Children's. He's not well enough for that.
Yet having Dodson not just visit him but challenge him in his favorite game?
That's the best play the Seahawks' new middle linebacker and defensive signal caller is going make all season.
"I mean, you don't want to get too specific or ask them about, you know, their illness and stuff like that, but, I just learned that they're just like us," Dodson said. "You know, that's how they express themselves. Gaming.
"You know, it's just good to get out and just, you know, impact people," Dodson said. "And just hang out."
Seattle Children's started the Therapeutic Gaming program in 2018, through funding from Child's Play Charity. It has taken advantage of Seattle being a cradle of the U.S. video-gaming industry to remain fully funded by philanthropy. That includes its 100 specially hospital-adapted gaming consoles and the hospital's Therapeutic Gaming staff specialists.
One of them in Max Williams.
Dodson's agent, Mollie Edick, learned about Seattle Children's Therapeutic Gaming program through recent work it has done with outlets such as Mojang Studios of Minecraft video-game fame. Edick contacted Christina Burmester, who works with Seattle's Children's community fundraising, sports philanthropy and special guests. Burmester got Dodson connected to Seattle Children's video-game program.
Monday was Dodson's second visit to the hospital and its gaming program. He arrived on the players' only off day this week, about 12 hours after the Seahawks landed late Sunday night from their win at New England then five-hour flight home.
"It's really been Tyrel's project to come here," Max Williams, a Seattle Children's Therapeutic Gaming specialist, told The News Tribune by telephone from the hospital Wednesday. "He's really made the time, and the special effort.
"He spoke to me how he spends so much time with his Nintendo Switch to de-stress."
Williams said it's powerful for kids at Seattle Children's see an NFL star who uses video games the same way they do.
"There is a real connection that, 'He's just like us. I'm the same as you!'" Williams said.
Williams said Dodson is a perfect playing partner for the kids in the hospital's gaming program. The specialist said Dodson masters the "elegant" way therapists use to show he's a legit gamer with skills, yet to not just win at every game he's playing with 8-, 10 and 14-year olds.
"He's just a natural at it," Williams said. "He's passing the controllers to the kids in group play, and I'm not even facilitating any of it.
"These are super-special visits. This turns it around for them."
Dodson is new to the city, and the Pacific Northwest. The native of Franklin, Tennessee, played college football at Texas A&M. Buffalo signed him into the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2019. His first five seasons in the league he was with the Bills.
He signed a one-year, $4.26 million contract with the Seahawks in free agency this spring. Now he is replacing Seattle community icon and future Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner in the middle of the Seahawks' defense.
Dodson has 18 tackles in his first two games for his new team. They are the first two games he's been a full-time starting middle linebacker and defensive signal caller in the NFL.
Sunday in Foxborough, Massachusetts, New England had a third and 1 on the first possession of overtime. A Patriots touchdown and the Seahawks would have lost, and be 1-1 instead of 2-0 and in first place in the NFC West entering their game Sunday against the Miami Dolphins at Lumen Field (1:05 p.m., channel 7).
The Patriots blocked the third-and-1 play well. Stevenson, the bullish running back, ran into what he thought was a free rushing lane. Dodson recognized the play and sprinted into the hole at the line of scrimmage. Not only did he tackle Stevenson, he prevented the back who had 118 of his 120 yards the previous week at Cincinnati after contact from falling forward. Dodson stood up Stevenson for no gain.
New England punted. Geno Smith and the Seahawks offense drove down the field to Jason Myers' winning field goal midway through the 10-minute overtime period.
And the Seahawks are one of nine unbeaten teams in the 32-team NFL through two game weeks.
In the locker room inside Gillette Stadium following the game, Dodson credited Chris Partridge, the Seahawks' new outside linebackers coach, for preparing him for that exact play from New England in that situation last week.
New coach Mike Macdonald tasks Partridge with drilling the Seahawks' defense in third- and fourth-down plays. Macdonald, at 37 the youngest NFL head coach, and the 43-year-old Partridge were colleagues on the same defensive staff at the University of Michigan in 2021, when Macdonald was the Wolverines' defensive coordinator.
"I anticipated the play," Dodson said. 'CP, our short-yardage coach, he showed that this week. And I trusted myself, made a big play for my team."
Macdonald said Dodson is being modest.
"If you need anything done at a high level, give it to Chris Partridge. The guy is just a force for us on our staff," Macdonald said.
"But (Dodson), he deserves a lot of credit. I mean, 'T Dot' made a heck of a play, and he's being humble by dishing it out to Chris. I mean, he's the guy making the tackle. A couple of assists on that play. Leo (Leonard Williams) had great B-gap penetration, and then J-Reed (Jarran Reed) was in the A-gap on that play and then ended up actually kind of taking the engine out of the running back and making sure he didn't get any more progress.
"Those guys did a great job."
Russell Wilson remains a hero inside Seattle Children's, and with the dozens or more children and families he inspired with his weekly visits every Tuesday for his eights as the Seahawks' quarterback.
He visited the sickest of the sick. In burn units. In cancer wards. In intensive care. In full-on protective gear.
Seattle has its Blue Fridays across the Pacific Northwest, the days each game week fans wear their Seahawks gear in anticipation of that weekend's game. Seattle Children's staff members, patients and families had Blue Tuesdays. For Wilson's visits.
Seattle traded him at his request to Denver before the 2022 season. The Broncos released him this spring and the Pittsburgh Steelers signed him. Wilson returned to Seattle in late May for a concert Ciara, his wife, performed at Climate Pledge Arena.
While in town, Wilson visited Seattle Children's again.
Dodson said he wants to be the Seahawks' new Wilson at Seattle Children's. He plans to go back.
And not just once.
"We're planning to for this to be like a week-to-week thing, like Russ did," Dodson said.
"And, yeah, in the gaming wing, therapy through gaming. I'm all for it."
He is going to be working with Williams to make this a weekly event, to give Seattle Children's new Blue Tuesdays.
"I can't wait to get a more zoom calls, have more coffee, coffee meetings with them," Dodson said on his way out to practice for the game against the Dolphins Sunday.
"I want to see how we can excel in this program."
Williams, the Seattle Children's community -- and most of all, the kids -- are looking forward to it.
"It's just a blessing," Williams said from the hospital. "It's just a huge impact."