FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Julian Love had to think hard whether he'd ever blocked a field goal before Sunday.
"Oh probably maybe Little League, I don't know,'' Love said following the Seahawks' 23-20 overtime win at Gillette Stadium
But something compelled him to think that maybe Sunday would be the day that the six-year NFL vet would finally get one.
As the Patriots lined up for a 48-yard field goal attempt by Joey Slye with 3:59 remaining, Love asked teammate Rayshawn Jenkins to switch sides. That had Love rushing from the right side of the line, or coming into the kicker and holder, the so-called block side.
The ploy worked as Love aggressively jumped between two Patriots blockers and got his hand up in time to block Slye's kick and keep the Patriots lead at 20-17.
The Seahawks drove to send the game into overtime on a Jason Myers field goal where it won it on another.
Coach Mike Macdonald and players pointed to the block as a key swing in fortunes.
"He made a heck of a play,'' Macdonald said. "Just heck of a play, but it's something you practice all the time, and finally when you have the opportunity, it goes and executes it. That was big-time.''
Love said he had no real reason for asking Jenkins to switch other than that "something in me" persuading him.
"I just think in that moment I just felt like I've got to go get it,'' he said "I felt good. was looking at my guys, obviously it was a long drive, they were tired. But I felt energized in that moment and something told me to switch and if anybody is going to do it, I feel like I should be doing it."
He felt that the odds of a block increased markedly after Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett was sacked by Leonard Williams and first-round pick Byron Murphy II for a 9-yard loss on the play before.
"It's going to be a lower trajectory, so you have a higher chance of a block,'' Love said.
Brissett took the blame for the sack, which came on a third-and-six play from the 21.
"Yeah, it was just a bad play by me,'' he said. "I was trying to get the ball out and I just didn't want to be careless with the ball and somebody strip sack me from behind because I felt somebody coming from behind. Yeah. So was trying to get the ball out. It was just a bad play by me.''
Love lined up inside cornerback Riq Woolen, who blocked a kick against the 49ers in 2022 that the Seahawks returned for a touchdown.
Love intimated the Pats were paying close attention to Woolen which allowed him to sneak through.
"Thankfully Riq was coming off the edge all day,'' Love said. "(Lineman) Dre'Mont Jones had great pressure inside. Our interior was getting after it. We were close a few times, so something in me just said, 'Hey, I'm going to be able to come loose and just jump the thing. ... Just kind of glide and skinny up however I can. Thankfully I'm skinny enough, so I got my hand up and got it.''
Asked later if the ball hitting his hand like that hurts, Love smiled and shook his fingers.
"You kind of black out,'' he said. "It will hurt I'm sure. Jammed a couple fingers. But you just try to sell out. You're defending points. You're making a field goal game into a touchdown game (if the Pats make it). So yeah, I just sold out and you feel it later. It doesn't matter.''
JSN has career day
The Seahawks' emphasis on a quick-passing game, designed to mitigate the Patriots' pass rush and help make up for a lack of a running game with Kenneth Walker III sidelined, led to a career day for second-year receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
The 20th overall pick of the 2023 draft finished with 117 yards on 12 receptions, betting his previous highs of seven receptions and 63 yards.
"Yeah it means a lot,'' Smith-Njigba said of topping the 100-yard mark for the first time. "Very thankful.''
Quarterback Geno Smith said he figured Smith-Njigba might have a big day given what Seattle wanted to do offensively.
"I thought the game plan was great,'' he said. "... JSN is a great player. We have to get the ball in his hands as many chances as we can. I thought he did a great job throughout the game and just making those clutch catches and finding windows when it was zone, beating man when it was man, and I thought he did a great job today.''
Mafe, Baker leave with injuries
The Seahawks were short-handed on defense at the end as weakside linebacker Jerome Baker left with a recurrence of his hamstring injury while outside linebacker Boye Mafe left in the fourth quarter with a knee contusion.
Macdonald indicated both players may be OK.
"I think he's going to be all right,'' Macdonald said of Baker.
As for Mafe, he said: "Boye, same thing. He has like a knee contusion. I think he got banged in the knee. I think -- was it the last -- might have been the last drive before overtime or the overtime drive. Last drive before overtime. We'll see with all that stuff. We'll see how it shakes out.''
Rookie Tyrice Knight filled in for Baker.
Team being careful with Walker
As anticipated after he was declared as doubtful for the game, running back Kenneth Walker III did not suit up because of an oblique injury suffered in the opener against Denver. Walker was one of the team's seven inactive players.
Seahawks general manager John Schneider indicated during his appearance on the team's pregame radio show on Seattle Sports 710 that Walker may not be out too long.
"He had a good week, was progressing, but one of those injuries that you just have to be really careful with,'' Schneider said. "Obviously we'd like Ken to be playing. He's such an explosive player.''
With Walker out, the Seahawks gave the start to Zach Charbonnet. Kenny McIntosh and George Holani were also active but did not appear to get any snaps.
Charbonnet was held to 38 yards on 14 carries and stuffed for a loss of one on a fourth-and-one at the New England 23 in the third quarter.
Asked about the running game, Macdonald said: "On our end, I don't know. We would have to look at the tape and see what's happening on some of the blocks. If it's want there and you're able to throw the ball, whatever it takes to win the game, so I thought we did that. We'll go back to the tape and figure it out. They have a really good front and do a good job in the run game. Numbers back it up.''
Happy trails for Seahawks
Love revealed after the game that the Seahawks are using a bigger plane (a 747) with a different seat configurations that essentially means all players have a first-class seat.
"Guys are liking it a lot more,'' he said, adding he thought it helped with the team adjusting to a long flight and three-hour time change (the Seahawks left on Friday).
For a while in the Carroll era, the plane had some first-class and some coach seats and if the team won, the coaches would allow the players to sit in first class on the way back (coaches would typically sit in them on the way to the game).
"Mike did a great job of getting us an upgrade plane this year so there's a lot more space for the players,'' he said. "... Guys can really spread out and not be so cramped going into a game.''