NFL Kickoff Game preview: Patriots try to be more competitive in Super Bowl rematch vs. Seahawks

The NFL picking the New England Patriots as the opening game opponent for the Seattle Seahawks made sense, because it's a Super Bowl matchup.

It's also a little confusing, based on how that Super Bowl went.

For the most part we've had a run of competitive Super Bowls, but last postseason brought the second blowout in a row. The Patriots were overmatched from the start. The final score was 29-13 in favor of the Seahawks but it was even more of a mismatch than the score would indicate. The Seahawks defense suffocated the Patriots, who didn't score in the first three quarters. The Seahawks led 29-7 before a meaningless touchdown by New England in the final three minutes. Seattle outclassed New England in every way.

That doesn't mean a rematch will go the same way, however. The Patriots got better at receiver, signing Romeo Doubs and then making a big trade for A.J. Brown . The many players still on the roster since last season will remember being embarrassed in the Super Bowl and want to make amends for it. Though, they will be without a key player as running back TreVeyon Henderson is out due to an ankle injury.

The Seahawks have some motivation too. They've been an overlooked champion this offseason as their NFC West rival Los Angeles Rams take up all the attention with their big roster moves. The Seahawks have had some losses this offseason, most notably running back Kenneth Walker III and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, but they were a dominant champion and won't take a backseat to the Rams.

"They made some big-time moves," Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba said on ESPN, via Heavy.com . "I think them getting Aaron Donald is great for them and we understand that. But like I said, we kind of don't care. We're gonna take these challenges head-on and we're excited about it, looking forward to it, and really just worried about us and what we have to do."

Each team has plenty of play for in the opener, which was moved to Wednesday night to accommodate Thursday night's 49ers-Rams game in Australia. Hopefully this game is better than the last time the Patriots and Seahawks met.

The Seahawks have the benefit of being the Super Bowl champion. If they aren't as good this season it will be disappointing, but they earned a pass for at least a season. The Patriots didn't get that Super Bowl, and the offseason was surprisingly harsh for a 14-3 AFC champion. Everyone enjoyed pointing out how soft the Patriots schedule was and explaining how they'd regress. A win at Seattle to open the season would change that narrative instantly. A team with Drake Maye at quarterback and Mike Vrabel at head coach, surrounded by plenty of talent including an upgraded receiver room, shouldn't be going anywhere for a while.

The Seahawks let Kenneth Walker III, the Super Bowl MVP, leave for the Chiefs in free agency. Part of the plan to replace him was drafting Price with the last pick of the first round. Many saw that pick as a reach, but Price is a talented player who happened to be behind Jeremiyah Love with Notre Dame. Zach Charbonnet is a capable back but he's out at least the first four games of the season as he recovers from a torn ACL. That means a team that likes to run the ball is going to rely heavily on Price through September. He has the ability to become a big factor beyond that too, if he shows he can thrive in a expanded role while Charbonnet is out.

The Super Bowl 60 rematch opened at Seahawks -3.5, but unlike the Super Bowl (which moved up to -5), the line has remained there and even ticked down to -3 at some books. Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez is no longer questionable with a contract dispute, as he'll suit up — while RB TreVeyon Henderson is out. Can Drake Maye look better against that Seattle defense? The Super Bowl champs haven't gotten much press this offseason, and they'll be waiting to take that out on New England on the field. The betting public likes Seattle to cover and I agree.

Check out more of Ben's work at the Yahoo Sports betting hub .

Fantasy football storylines, by Scott Pianowski

The Seahawks and Patriots kick off the 2026 season Wednesday night, a rematch of last year's non-competitive Super Bowl. Here are three fantasy angles to watch for:

Brown has been a consistent fantasy star despite spending seven years on teams that ran the ball into the ground. Drake Maye enters Brown's life at a perfect time, but the Patriots understand that Brown will need maintenance — he's dealing with a chronic, degenerative knee condition. Brown always made sense as a second-round fantasy pick this summer, but we also have some floor concerns.

2. Will Jadarian Price hit the ground running?

The Seahawks sure hope so, with Kenneth Walker gone and Zach Charbonnet unavailable for several weeks. Price might have been a slight reach as an NFL first-round pick, but he could approach 18-20 touches in the opener, given how ordinary the depth chart is behind him.

3. Have the Seahawks unlocked Rashid Shaheed ?

Seattle acquired Shaheed in the middle of the 2025 season and he did very little after the trade — a meager 15-188-0 line for nine games. But the organization still believes in Shaheed, giving him a three-year, $51 million extension after the season. Although receivers can sometimes produce quickly after a midseason trade (see Jakobi Meyers last year), slow onboarding is probably more common. We're eager to see if Shaheed can be a useful fantasy depth piece for 2026.

Check out more of Scott's work at the Yahoo Sports fantasy hub .