Seattle Seahawks to play New England Patriots in Week 1, per report
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 08: Devon Witherspoon #21 of the Seattle Seahawks forces a fumble by Drake Maye #10 of the New England Patriots during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, Calif (Focus on Sport / Getty Images)
The last game of the 2025 NFL season will reportedly also be the first one of 2026.
The Seattle Seahawks are set to host the New England Patriots in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season on September 9 in a rematch of Super Bowl LX, according to a report from NFL reporter Jordan Schultz.
The Seahawks battered the Patriots in a 29-13 victory in February in Santa Clara, California to claim their second Lombardi Trophy.
Due to other games that have already been scheduled, the available options for Week 1 for the Seahawks had dwindled to just four: the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears and Patriots. Neither the Cardinals nor Chargers felt like viable options for the kickoff game of the season, leaving the Bears and Patriots as the only reasonable selections.
Given the ongoing controversy surrounding the Patriots and head coach Mike Vrabel and an allegedly inappropriate relationship with reporter Dianna Russini, it certainly would have made sense if the NFL didn't want that storyline to hang over the start of the 2026 regular season. They could avoid that scenario by having the NFC North champion Bears come to Seattle for Week 1 instead.
But apparently it's not enough of a concern for the league to worry about.
If the report is accurate, it will be the first time a Super Bowl rematch has been scheduled for Week 1 since the Denver Broncos hosted the Carolina Panthers to open the 2016 season. Denver beat the Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50 in a game also held at Levi's Stadium.
When the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII against the Broncos, they opened the following year against the Green Bay Packers in Seattle. The Seahawks beat the Packers 36-16 in the opener and ultimately faced them again in the NFC Championship game four months later to earn a return trip to the Super Bowl against the Patriots.
It will be just the fifth NFL game to be played on a Wednesday since 1950, and the first regular-season opener on a Wednesday since 2012, when the New York Giants hosted the Dallas Cowboys. That game was moved as not to conflict with President Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention.
The entirety of the NFL schedule is set to be released at 5 p.m. PT Thursday night.
The Source: Information in this story came from Jordan Schultz and FOX 13 Seattle reporting.
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