FOXBORO, Mass. — As rap music bounced off the walls inside the visiting locker room at Gillette Stadium, Seattle Seahawks linebacker Tyrel Dodson sat tucked away in the back corner holding a keepsake unique to his new head coach, Mike Macdonald. “I got a game ball, man,” Dodson said with a smile.
More specifically, he received a “closer” ball, something Macdonald has introduced in Seattle. It’s a reward for a player who delivers a game-changing play in the final moments of a victory. Two games into his coaching career, Macdonald already has given out of pair of them.
Advertisement The first went to veteran receiver Tyler Lockett in Week 1; the second went to Dodson, whose one-on-one tackle against Rhamondre Stevenson in overtime forced the punt that allowed Seattle’s offense to orchestrate a game-winning drive. It did, capped by Jason Myers’ 31-yard field goal to secure a 23-20 victory over the New England Patriots . GO DEEPER NFL Week 2 takeaways: What Chiefs' latest survival shows, Ravens problems, Saints thriving The mindset Seattle’s defense had to begin overtime also represents the attitude Macdonald wants.
Despite giving up a combined 121 yards and a go-ahead touchdown run to Stevenson and Antonio Gibson in the second half, Seattle’s defense was fine with quarterback Geno Smith losing the coin toss to put it on field first. The Seahawks aspire to be the best in the world on defense. Before the opening drive of overtime, veterans Jarran Reed , Julian .