The New England Patriots open the 2026 NFL season facing the Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of Super Bowl 60 on a Wednesday night in early September. While a Super Bowl rematch is always good drawing eyeballs, it was a strange choice by the NFL to kickoff the season with such a match-up as the opening game will always pull in a large audience hungry for the return of professional football.
For New England, it was a difficult ending to a miraculous season that saw the 4-13 team of 2024 transformed into a 13-4 AFC East champion unit led by their defense and just enough timely offense in the playoffs. Despite reaching the Super Bowl, it was clear that upgrades were necessary.
New England reloaded in the offseason on offense, signing top free agent wide receiver Romeo Doubs away from the Green Bay Packers. Later, they swung a trade with the Eagles to extract a legitimate number one wide receiver in A.J. Brown. On the offensive line, they added former Jets guard Alijah Vera-Tucker allowing Jared Wilson to return to his natural center position.
On defense, New England turned the roster over with Khyiris Tonga, Jaylin Hawkins, K’Levon Chaisson, Anfernee Jennings, Jahlani Tavai and Jack Gibbens all played in the Super Bowl on defense and are off the roster for the rematch. Harold Landry is also on injured reserve.
Mike Vrabel’s old pal Kevin Byard should add a lift to the secondary replacing Hawkins, while Chaisson and Jennings were swapped out for Dre’Mont Jones and rookie Gabe Jacas. Tonga’s playing time goes to Cory Durden while the linebackers coming off the bench will be Darius Muasau and rookie Namdi Obiazor.
Entering the regular season with a boosted offensive line and a pair of legitimate receivers to attack defenses is a huge boost. Remember, in Super Bowl 60 Seattle dared New England to win the one-on-one match-ups in the passing game and the Patriots could not. With Hunter Henry and Stefon Diggs neutralized, the passing game was dependent upon Mac Hollins and DeMario Douglas, a recipe for disaster as Kayshon Boutte added just one catch on five targets.
How to Watch/Listen to the Game:
The NFL’s return in 2026 will be broadcast by NBC and can be seen in the Boston area on NBC 10 Boston and in the greater Providence area on WJAR-10. Fans can stream the game on Peacock as well. Mike Tirico will handle play-by-play duties with Cris Collinsworth as the color analyst. Melissa Stark and Kaylee Hartung will work from the sidelines.
The opening game will be broadcast to a national audience on Westwood One. The always excellent Kevin Harlan will call the game while former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner will provide color while still seething about Brady, Belichick and the rest of the 2001 Patriots.
98.5 The Sports Hub serves the greater New England area as the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. The network partners with 23 stations across New England to broadcast the game.
Play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback and Sports Hub “personality” and mid-day show host Scott Zolak, who somehow is apparently still on good terms with the Kraft family and kept his job for yet another season.
Key Stats:
New England Patriots
The Patriots offense finished second in points scored (490) and third in yards (6,449) in 2025 (all statistics from Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise noted) in 2025. They averaged 6.2 yards per play on offense led by the fourth most passing yards (4,258) and 31 passing touchdowns. The running game added the sixth-most rushing yards (2,191) and 4.4 yards per rush.
Despite all that, the running game was non-existent the last time they played Seattle and the receiving corps were bullied. New England turned the ball over three times that game and it was a huge part of the game turning into a rout in the fourth quarter. The Patriots were hurt by turnovers at times in 2025 as they finished the regular season ninth in the NFL in turnovers with 16. They were 18th with eight lost fumbles but fourth with just eight interceptions in the regular season.
The New England defense finished fourth in points allowed (320) and eighth in yards allowed (5,019). They allowed just 5.2 yards per play and were ninth in the NFL allowing just 3,290 passing yards. They were 14th allowing 25 passing touchdowns. The run defense allowed the sixth-fewest yards (1,729) and the fourth fewest rushing touchdowns (11) while allowing 4.2 yards per rush.
The defense made big plays throughout the playoffs and allowed just four field goals in the first three quarters keeping the game within reach. In the 2025 regular season, New England’s defense was 19th in forcing turnovers with just 19, something they hope Kevin Byard can help with with his ball-hawking ways. They were 10th in fumbles forced, with nine but only 18th in the league with ten interceptions.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks’offense finished third in points scored (483) and eighth in yards (5,973) in 2025. They averaged 5.9 yards per play on offense and had the eighth most passing yards (3,877) and had 25 passing touchdowns (16th). The running game was also a strength with the tenth-most rushing yards (2,096) but only averaged 4.1 yards per rush (25th).
The running game took a big hit with the loss of Kenneth Walker in free agency. Rookie Jadarian Price has been tabbed to fill the hole that also features Zach Charbonnet starting on injured reserve.
The Seattle offense was only limited by turnovers in 2025 with the team ranking 31st in the NFL with 28 turnovers. They were last overall with a league-leading 13 lost fumbles during the regular season and 26th with 15 interceptions (14 by Sam Darnold and one by wide receiver Cooper Kupp).
The defense finished first in the entire league with the fewest points allowed (292) and were sixth in the league in yards allowed (4,860). They allowed just 4.6 yards per play and were tenth in the NFL allowing just 3,297 passing yards.
The defense lost edge rusher Boye Mafe in free agency but added veteran Dante Fowler to offset the loss.
They were also seventh with just 20 passing touchdowns allowed. The run defense allowed the third-fewest yards (1,563) and the second-fewest rushing touchdowns (9) while allowing a league best 3.7 yards per rush.
Seattle’s defense was sixth in forcing turnovers with 25. They were 18th in fumbles recovered with seven. They were ball-hawks finishing fifth in the NFL with 18 interceptions.
In the offseason the secondary lost a pair of starters with Riq Woolen jumping to Philadelphia and safety Coby Bryant leaving for Chicago,
NE Offense vs SEA Defense
For the Patriots’ offense, it would have been hard to play much worse than they did in Super Bowl 60. A lot of credit has to go to the Seahawks’ defense that swarmed the overmatched offensive line and quarterback Drake Maye. However, the glaring weakness was the wide receivers inability to separate from the Seahawks’ secondary as they sent multiple rushers at Maye.
Pass Offense:
As the Seahawks showed in Super Bowl 60, rather than investing in a single, dominant pass rusher, the Seahawks generated pressure from every spot of the field. Blitzing cornerbacks, safeties, linebackers along with a strong edge and interior push made the game a nightmare for Drake Maye.
No player for Seattle has more than seven sacks total during the regular season but DeMarcus Lawrence (six sacks) and Uchenna Nwosu (seven sacks) had consistent pressure and former Jets star Leonard Williams (seven sacks) remained a dominant force teaming up with young stud Byron Murphy (seven sacks) to form a pocket-pushing presence inside.
Seattle blitzed, but primarily on third down and it was devastating in the Super Bowl. Mike MacDonald’s defenses moved the front and stunted and looped, brought pressure from unexpected blitzers and showed pressure on one side and dropped defenders back into coverage leaving Maye and the offensive line confused as to who was rushing .
Seattle played a ton of zone defense last year (80.4%) in 2025 per Sharp Football Analysis, but top cornerback Devon Witherspoon is unique in that he is capable of lining up both inside and outside and on the left side and on the right. He is easily their top man-coverage defender, but turns into a ballhawk when in zone and can keep his eyes in the backfield.
Nickelback Nick Emmanwori excels at slot cornerback but is also a hard-hitting strong safety and the weakside linebacker in the Seattle defense and his ability in run support allows Seattle to keep extra defensive backs on the field.
Safety Coby Bryant is a big loss in the secondary, as is the long and fast Riq Woolen. Ty Okada has big shoes to fill at safety but he has been ruled out of the week one match-up leaving Seattle thin at safety. By letting Woolen walk, Seattle has to hope Josh Jobe’s Super Bowl performance (only four receptions allowed on 11 targets for just 20 yards) is the norm and not his usual inconsistent play.
For New England’s passing attack, Drake Maye’s shoulder injury is a thing of the past as the new season kicks off. Maybe it was the shoulder, maybe it was the level of the defenses being faced, maybe it was getting the two rookies on the left side of the offensive line back up to speed after injuries, but more than likely it was a combination of all of those that led to the offense sputtering out in the playoffs last year.
Amazingly, Mack Hollins and DeMario Douglas were the key cogs in the passing game in the Super Bowl against Seattle. Stefon Diggs and tight end Hunter Henry were blanketed by Seattle and Kayshon Boutte’s contested catch ability abandoned him as Woolen and Jobe stuck to his hip throughout the game.
Adding A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs give the Patriots two big outside receivers with both separation ability and contested catch ability, something they lacked mightily in the last match-up. Add in the defections of Woolen and Bryant, and this match-up with the secondary should definitely lean back towards New England’s favor.
On the offensive line, Garrett Bradbury was moved and second-year center Jared Wilson finally gets to step up at his natural position. He struggled at left guard, but especially coming back from his high ankle sprain late last year.
Little noise has been heard about the rest of the offensive line in training camp, which is exactly what teams want. No news on the o-line is always good news. With Wilson at center, free agent signing Alijah Vera-Tucker stepping in at left guard and second-year left tackle Will Campbell healthy and able to play with power again after playing through his knee injury when clearly not close to 100% in the playoffs.
Mike Onwenu and Morgan Moses return to anchor the right side of the offensive line. With an entire offseason to get this unit ready, New England looks to have the pass protection upgraded and passing game with more weapons to match-up with top passing defenses in 2026.
Key Match-up: A.J Brown vs Devon Witherspoon
Get your popcorn ready!
Witherspoon isn’t likely to follow Brown and will likely see snaps across from Romeo Doubs and others, but expect the NBC/Peacock cameras to spend a lot of time paying attention to this match-up on the outside. New England’s offense needs to get Brown and Doubs involved early and often to sustain drives and put pressure on the Seattle defense.
New England struggled in the Super Bowl to push the ball downfield and with the run game doing nothing, Seattle’s secondary ganged up in the middle of the field on Hunter Henry and Stefon Diggs and dared the other receivers to win on the outside in single coverage.
That failure to consistently win against single coverage resulted in overhauling the receiving unit. Now Brown (and Doubs) give Maye a new dimension in the passing game and will put pressure on Seattle’s cornerbacks.
Run Offense:
Rhamondre Stevenson teamed up with TreVeyon Herderson last season to form a dynamic one-two punch in the running game. However, Henderson is not expected to play against Seattle due to his ankle injury.
The combo of Stevenson and Henderson combined for 1,514 yards rushing last year in the regular season and added 15 rushing touchdowns. Without Henderson on Wednesday night,
New England’s running back depth is going to be tested.
Corey Kiner was brought in at the end of camp as the third back after Terrrell Jennings was put on injured reserve (and later reached an injury settlement). New England had an open competition in camp, but no one grabbed the job with seventh-round draft pick Jam Miller released and Hassan Haskins and Lan Larison both on the practice squad.
New England’s secret weapon is former Bills fullback Reggie Gilliam. Gilliam made James Cook a ton of money in Buffalo and as the hammer leading the way for Stevenson, this could be a big season for the New England run game,
Expect Stevenson to play around 70% of the snaps and either Larison or Haskins activated for the game and get more work as Kiner learns the offense on the fly. While Gilliam may not play 50% of the snaps, his ability to get the run game going on early downs should change the narrative in the rematch.
Seattle’s run defense is impressive and did not get enough credit for the Super Bowl 60 win. Seattle linebackers Drake Thomas and Ernest Jones are sure tacklers and have explosive speed. They were in the backfield consistently slowing the run game in the Super Bowl.
They count on Byron Murphy and Leonard Williams (and Jarran Reed and Brandon Pili) to occupy linemen inside and keep Thomas and Jones clean to shoot gaps and make plays. Murphy and Williams are strong and capable of penetration and blowing up plays in the backfield even when double-teamed.
Uchenna Nwosu is good, not great, against the run on the edge, but former Cowboy Demarcus Lawrence on the opposite side is the strength of the run defense. He sets a violent edge and his patience and experience allow him to redirect running backs into the waiting arms of Thomas and Jones.
Key Match-up: Jared Wilson vs Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy
Wilson struggled mightily in February facing the interior pressure mounted by the Seattle defense (I could add Jarran Reed and Ryan Mills as well, as they also were effective on the interior). However, whether the lingering high ankle sprain or playing out of position, or just rookie nerves, the performance was a key part of the breakdown of the offense in the Super Bowl.
Wilson fared better this summer, particularly with the joint practices with the Eagles as he faced their dynamic interior defenders and held his own. With no snaps played in the preseason, Wilson remains an unknown quantity at center for games that actually matter.
Williams and Murphy both had their way with the New England interior offensive line. Both left no space for the running game and put the Patriots in a tough position on third down. In addition, Murphy added a pair of sacks.
NE Defense vs SEA Offense:
The New England defense was outstanding in the playoffs last year. Despite missing Harold Landry at times and with the edge rusher not active to start the season due to the lingering knee injury, the New England defense was a huge strength, even in the Super Bowl as they allowed just one offensive touchdown.
Former inside linebackers coach Zak Kuhr is now officially the defensive coordinator as Terrell Williams, who was supposed to be the defensive coordinator last year was away from the team dealing with prostate cancer treatment, and returns as assistant head coach supporting Mike Vrabel.
Kuhr found his groove in the second half of the season and into the playoffs calling a number of timely blitzes and his aggressive play calling with disguised coverages behind them were a key in confusing opposing quarterbacks.
Seattle won 14 games and has one of the brightest young offensive minds in the NFL in Klint Kubiak. Kubiak has the bloodlines and is in line to accept the Las Vegas head coach job once the clock hits 00:00 on Sunday. In the playoffs, Justin Herbert, C.J. Stroud and Denver backup Jarrett Stidham were battered and confused into key turnovers.
The Seahawks are similar to the Patriots in philosophy as they run the ball with heavy volume to set up big plays down the field in the passing game. With running back Kenneth Walker now in Kansas City and Zach Charbonnet rehabbing his knee injury, the pressure is on rookie first-round draft pick running back Jadarian Price.
Pass Defense:
The Patriots let K’Lavon Chaisson walk in free agency and will be missing 2025 sack leader Harold Landry as he works his way back from his knee injury. Instead, New England will lean on free agent edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones and 2025 undrafted free agent Elijah Ponder to generate pressure on the quarterback.
The pressure that New England generates is from their duo of penetrating interior defensive linemen. Milton Williams’ signing was mocked in the press--until the games started last season. All of a sudden, the same idiots that criticized the Patriots for signing Williams were bashing the Eagles for letting him walk in free agency.
Christian Barmore bounced back from the career threatening blood clots that wiped out his 2024 season. While Barmore and Williams did not put up gaudy sack numbers in 2025, the interior pressure disrupted plays and led to interceptions, incompletions and turnovers.
Robert Spillane is healthy after a tough go in the second half of the season and playoffs but his presence in the middle of the defense is a boost to the New England interior pass defense. Having Spillane out there alongside the athletic Christian Ellis helps the Patriots’ pass defense.
With Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones blanketing opposing wide receivers throughout 2025, the Seahawks will again have a tough test against the New England secondary. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was one of the best receivers in the NFL in 2025, until he ran into Gonzalez in Super Bowl 60.
Adding Kevin Byard in free agency gives New England an upgrade at safety. Byard thrived with Vrabel in Tennessee in the past and had seven interceptions in Chicago last season. With 2025 fourth-round draft pick Craig Woodson looking like a potential star with strong coverage and willing help in the run game, the pass defense should be solid.
Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold threw for 4,048 yards in the regular season and 1,793 went to Smith-Njigba. Seattle aligns the former Ohio State wide receiver everywhere in the formation to try and dictate match-ups and will do all they can to keep him far away from Gonzalez.
Seattle brought back veteran Cooper Kupp to fill that third down/safety blanket slot receiver role. The crafty veteran can still make some plays, but he should see a lot of Marcus Jones in this game. Kupp led the Seahawks with six catches for 61 yards in the Super Bowl, but he caught only 50% of his targets.
The Seahawks traded for explosive speedster Rashid Shaheed last year at midseason but his impact was on special teams. Seattle needs much more out of Shaheed on offense in 2026 as the presumptive third wide receiver. Tory Horton has struggled with injuries last year as a rookie and has been slowed by a hamstring injury in training camp and may not play in week one.
The Seahawks’ passing offense has another weapon in third year tight end AJ Barner. 2025 second-round draft pick Elijah Arroyo was expected to be the future starter at tight end but Barner had a great season last year and looks to grow his role in 2026. Big and capable as a blocker in the running game, Barner is a smooth route-runner and showed that off while scoring the Seahawks’ only offensive touchdown in Super Bowl 60.
Sam Darnold was hardly MVP material in the Super Bowl, but he stayed out of trouble and didn’t turn the football over, showing his growth since his days seeing ghosts while with the Jets. He will need to do more on Wednesday night as the ground game is a question and the New England offense will likely not allow him to get away with kicking field goals instead of reaching the end zone.
Key Match-up: CB Christian Gonzalez vs WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Gonzalez may be (currently) the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL, but in Super Bowl 60 he showed why. Seattle had to move Smith-Njigba away from Gonzalez in order to get him the football. Smith-Njigba had four receptions for 27 yards, with just one with Gonzalez in coverage. Targeted ten times, Seattle was fortunate the running game picked up the slack.
Without Kenneth Walker, more pressure will be on Smith-Njigba to produce offense in the Wednesday night rematch. However, Gonzalez has not skipped a beat in camp (despite missing non-mandatory practices while waiting on the contract extension situation to be resolved) and had a strong camp but may be rusty after skipping both joint practices against the Eagles and Colts.
Run Defense:
The New England run defense had three consecutive standout performances in the playoffs before the Seahawks ground out 141 yards on the ground (with 135 from Super Bpwl 60 MVP Kenneth Walker). Credit the interior offensive line as they won the one-on-one battles up front and opened huge running lanes from the first drive through the last.
The Seahawks’ offensive line will be under pressure to establish the running game as effectively as they did in the last match-up. The pundits haven’t had a concern with Seattle losing Walker, which is a slap in the face to the running back. The 2022 second-round draft pick had 1,027 yards and a 4.6 yards per rush average last year and those numbers aren’t easily replaced.
Jadarian Price seemed to be a stretch by the Seahawks when picked with the last pick of the first round, but the back-up running back from Notre Dame looks to be the real deal and a solid fit for the Seahawks offense. He is a willing blocker and decent pass-catcher out of the backfield, which is vital for the Seattle offense.
With short-yardage back George Holani as the top backup, there is little depth until Charbonnet returns. That ups the pressure on the rookie running back in 2026.
For New England’s defense, the resurgence of the run defense last year occurred with the return to health of Milton Williams at the end of the season. Losing interior run-stuffer Khyiris Tonga seemed to be yet another example of the Patriots’ front office low-balling a player and letting him reach free agency where Kansas City paid him what he was worth.
Cory Durden is a good player who is solid, but lacks the run-stuffing chops of Tonga. This puts more pressure on the edge rushers to produce against the run and set a strong edge. Fortunately, that is Dre’mont Jones’ calling card in the NFL.
Middle linebacker Robert Spillane is healthy and was a huge part of the run defense in 2025. He was beat up by the end of the season last year and needs to step up this time in the rematch against Seattle. Christian Ellis may overrun a play, but his athleticism plays well in the run game. Safety Craig Woodson should be able to help coming up in support of the run defense.
Key Match-up: NT Cory Durden vs C Jalen Sundel
Seattle center Jalen Sundell (a former North Dakota State Bison) had an up and down season but was very effective in the Super Bowl game. He will see a lot of Cory Durden in the trenches again on Wednesday night. The Seattle offensive line was the real MVP of the Super Bowl winning in the trenches and controlling the line of scrimmage all night.
Durden has good size and was just another of the many unknown free agents journeymen in camp in 2025. However, he put in the work and took to coaching and earned a roster spot. When Khyiris Tonga was injured, Durden stepped in and the defense didn’t skip a beat.
If Durden can stalemate Sundel and help slow the Seattle run game early, New England can make the Seattle offense one-dimensional and add pressure on Darnold and the passing game. Getting Seattle out of their game plan early and keeping the offense from long, sustained drives is vital for the New England defense.
Other Factors:
The game is at Lumen Field and last season the Patriots were the Road Warriors (9-0 on the road). Lumen will be loud. That gives the Seattle defense an advantage with the offense having to operate with a silent count.
Seattle has had a steady veteran kicker in Jason Myers, although he uncharacteristically struggled in the 2026 preseason missing multiple field goals and two extra points. Last season the strong legged kicker led the NFL in points by making 41 of 48 field goals and all 48 extra points in the regular season.
New England counters with rookie Andres Borregales who shook off a rough start and made 84.4% of his field goals and 53 of 55 extra points in 2025. Both kickers have strong legs and are accurate and are capable of making kicks out to 60 yards on Wednesday night in what should be good weather.
Bryce Baringer is on injured reserve and that is a concern for the Patriots as practice squad punter Matt Wishnowsky aka the Boomin’ Onion will be stepping in.
Seattle has an Aussie as well in second team All-Pro Michael Dickson. He averaged 49 yards per punt and an excellent net yards per punt average of 42.2 yards. He had just three touchbacks during the regular season.
With Marcus Jones back to return punts, the Patriots have a return threat. Of course, Seattle counters with Rasheed Shahid, a big play just waiting to happen.
The coverage units for both teams are missing key players. Brendan Schooler from New England earned All Pro on special teams last year in addition to making the Pro Bowl but starts the season on the NFI list. Seattle is also missing an impact special teamer as Jake Bobo will start the season on injured reserve.
Game Pick:
The Patriots and Seahawks were both very similar teams in 2025, but this is a new season. Both return the majority of their Super Bowl rosters and both have an all-world young cornerback highlighting their defense with Christian Gonzalez and the perennially underrated Devon Witherspoon.
While the Seahawks will have the edge with more dynamic pass rushers, the Patriots’ defense will need to manufacture pressure, create turnovers, make stops on third down like they did in the playoffs until they ran into Seattle in the Super Bowl.
Sam Darnold prevented big mistakes and did just enough to keep the Seahawks rolling on offense in the Super Bowl. The Seahawks leaned on the running game but with a rookie manning the position, their dominance will be difficult to replicate.
New England will be without big play running back TreVeyon Henderson and lack quality backups behind Rhamondre Stevenson.
Drake Maye is healthy for the week one rematch and needs to be able to stand in and diagnose and withstand the pressure this time. With a new pair of wide receivers, the offense should be able to better match up with a Seattle secondary that took a small step back.
I see the teams as pretty evenly matched right now, but on the road, on a weird Wednesday night, raising the banner and the Lumen FIeld noise is too much for the Patriots to overcome. I think the Patriots cover the spread this time, but Seattle still comes out ahead on a late field goal.
PATRIOTS 22 vs SEAHAWKS 24
Spread: Seahawks -3: Patriots
Moneyline: Seahawks -170, Patriots +142: Seahawks
O/U: 44.5: Over
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