Seven months after Seattle dismantled New England 29-13 in Super Bowl LX, the NFL wastes no time on a rematch — the two open the entire 2026 season against each other at Lumen Field, kickoff at 5:20 PM PT on Wednesday, September 9.
Bush’s PicksPicks madeJul 7, 1:01 PM CT
+178NESEA-206
-101NE +3.5SEA -3.5-113
-112Over 43.5Under 43.5-104
Best BetSeahawks -206
Seattle's price is short, but it's earned — this is the same group that ran through the playoffs and dismantled New England in the Super Bowl without its quarterback turning the ball over once. New England is live for the upset given the A.J. Brown addition and Maye's trajectory, but asking a retooled receiving corps to click in Week 1 against the defending champs is a lot to bank on. Back Seattle to win outright, even at the short price.
Patriots
+14-3 season, Maye emerged as a legit breakout QB
+Added A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs as new weapons
−Lost Super Bowl LX 29-13 to this same team
−TE room thin after Julian Hill's season-ending injury
−Gonzalez extension unresolved, missed OTAs
Seahawks
+Defending Super Bowl champs, JSN is reigning OPOY
+Darnold turnover-free across 3 playoff games
+Shaheed extended, stepping into an expanded role
−Charbonnet still working back from ACL tear
−Kupp's role shrinking behind younger receivers
−Facing an opponent with real revenge motivation
Drake Maye spent his first full season as a starter proving 2024 was a false start, turning in one of the league's sharpest sophomore breakouts and dragging New England to 14 wins. Mike Vrabel didn't sit on that. He flipped a 2028 first-round pick to Philadelphia for A.J. Brown, then added Romeo Doubs to give Maye a real receiving corps. Brown and Vrabel reunite from their Titans days, and the bet is simple: close the gap Seattle exposed in February with actual difference-makers at receiver.
That gap showed up in the worst possible way, with Seattle dictating the Super Bowl from start to finish. Both rosters have loose threads heading into the rematch. New England is still waiting on Christian Gonzalez to sign a long-term deal after he skipped OTAs, the Stevenson-Henderson running back competition hasn't been settled, and Julian Hill's season-ending injury in June leaves Hunter Henry as the only proven name at tight end. Seattle has its own questions — Zach Charbonnet is still working back from the ACL tear he suffered in the divisional round, and Cooper Kupp is sliding into a smaller slot role behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and a freshly extended Rashid Shaheed.
Show fees
5:20 PM PT
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NE Patriots
SEA Seahawks
None of that has shaken the oddsmakers, who still like the champs at home. But Week 1 openers on a short national window tend to play sloppier than the numbers suggest, and a Patriots team carrying a real chip on its shoulder from February looks like a different animal than the one that got run off the field in Santa Clara.
New England Patriots
Seattle Seahawks
Recent form.
The headline for Seattle is still Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who backed up a monster regular season by not turning the ball over once through 3 playoff games alongside Sam Darnold. Darnold himself has talked openly this offseason about cleaning up his footwork and cutting down the interceptions that crept into even his best year. Mike Macdonald is entering year 3 pushing a "new team" mentality despite the ring — a tell that he's not interested in complacency after a title.
New England Patriots
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Seattle Seahawks
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
For New England, the story isn't proving they belong anymore — 14 wins settled that. It's whether Maye's new-look receiving corps gels fast enough to make good on everything that clicked last season. Vrabel didn't rebuild this roster to open the year with another loss to the team that beat him in the biggest game there is, and a Wednesday night in front of the whole country is as good a proving ground as he'll get.
