Patriots at Seahawks 2026: Preview, Form & Who to Watch
The NFL couldn't have scripted a better opener. The 2026 season begins with a Super Bowl LX rematch: the New England Patriots travel to Seattle to face the Seahawks — the team that beat them for the title just seven months earlier. It's a Wednesday-night kickoff, a defending champion raising a banner, and a beaten finalist out for revenge.
How they got here
These were the two best teams in football last season. The Patriots went 14–3 and earned the AFC's No. 2 seed before running to the AFC title and a spot in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. There, the Seahawks beat them 29–13 to lift the Lombardi Trophy. Now the NFL opens the new season with the rematch, in Seattle, where the champions get to hang their banner in front of a home crowd before kickoff.
The storylines
Two obvious ones. First, Seattle's title defense begins here — champions notoriously get every opponent's best shot, and Week 1 at home against the team they just beat is a fitting place to start. Second, New England's revenge angle: a young, ascending Patriots team that reached the Super Bowl a year ago returns almost the entire core and opens against the one opponent it couldn't solve when it mattered most.
There's a scheduling wrinkle, too: the game is set for Wednesday, September 9 — the first Wednesday game in Patriots history — a standalone primetime window to launch the season on NBC.
Ones to Watch
Our picks below are informed opinion based on the form above — not a crystal ball.
Seattle beat New England 29–13 on the sport's biggest stage. Bringing back a title-winning team and opening at home, the champions are the natural favorite — and they'll want to prove the Super Bowl was no fluke.
A 14-3 season and an AFC title says last year was no accident. If the Patriots are going to make the leap from finalist to champion, beating the team that stopped them — on the road, in Week 1 — is exactly the statement they'd want to make.
How to watch: the opener airs on NBC and streams on Peacock. For where every NFL game lives in 2026 — CBS, FOX, ESPN, Prime and more — see our How to Watch the NFL in 2026 guide.
Form and expectations verified as of publication (Thursday, July 23, 2026). "Ones to watch" are our opinion — see our Editorial Policy. Kickoff shown in US Eastern; on the schedule it converts to your local zone.
