The NFL's schedule-makers haven't done the New England Patriots any favors in 2026. Not only has their surprising Super Bowl march gained them a tougher schedule, but the NFL has taken that to a whole new level. Three of their first four games are on the road, and all are against 2025 playoff teams.
In addition, seven of the first 11 are road games, making the beginning and middle of the season a nightmare scenario.
In the NFL, you play who the schedule says you play. In 2025, that benefited the lackluster Patriots, a truly awful 2024 team. Now, after the surprising Super Bowl run, they'll reap the whirlwind of a schedule that will challenge them from the outset. And that begins with the first Wednesday Night Football game on September 9 - in Seattle.
It's bad enough to have to face the defending champions, but to do so in their own backyard, home to the mystical "12th Man" in the first game, adds a lot more pain. No doubt, Drake Maye and his teammates will have to dramatically up their game from their lousy Super Bowl performance to have any chance against the Seahawks.
Can the Patriots rise to the occasion and knock off the Seahawks?
The overarching question that will ultimately determine whether the Patriots can overcome the Seahawks in Week 1 will be how much they've improved since Super Bowl LX. Have they done enough, and can the return of players who were injured for that game tilt the balance toward the Patriots?
Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport has highlighted some key 2026 NFL matchups, and one for certain will be that rematch of Super Bowl LX's participants, the Patriots and the Seahawks, in Week 1 of the season. It had to be.
"Yes, this Thursday night rematch of Super Bowl LX is a big game, but it's not like the team that comes up short is doomed. However, that doesn't mean this contest doesn't have big stakes. For the home team, it's a chance to reinforce their status as the NFL's best team ... For the visiting Patriots, it's an opportunity for a measure of redemption...the Patriots have a revamped offensive line and are widely expected to have a new No. 1 receiver in veteran A.J. Brown.
Trite though it may sound, this game is going to come down to the same things the Super Bowl did: controlling the point of attack and avoiding turnovers and costly mistakes. The Patriots will keep this one closer, but in front of a raucous Lumen Field crowd, the Seahawks will win a close one on a Jason Myers field goal.
Final Score: Seahawks 26, Patriots 24"
The Seahawks were the better team by a mile in 2025, and they showed it without a doubt to the world by drubbing the upstart Patriots in the Super Bowl. But that was then, and this is now. Drake Maye and Will Campbell, the team's two most important players, will hopefully be fully healthy on September 9.
They weren't in the Super Bowl, and that was a key determining factor in the blowout.
In addition, the Patriots have done some patching up of the offensive line, but probably not enough. They added a top veteran, Alijah Vera-Tucker, to play left guard. Unfortunately, Vera-Tucker is injury-prone and counting on him to play a full seaon is risky business.
Additionally, they're moving last season's decent left guard, Jared Wilson, to center, his last college position. But he hasn't played there in the NFL. They also return the other three starters.
Whether they've improved the offensive line enough is debatable. If Vera-Tucker stays healthy and if Wilson can transition to center, they may be OK. If not, there is little depth behind them. They adeptly drafted a top college left tackle, Caleb Lomu, to be the swing tackle behind Campbell or right tackle Morgan Moses if either gets dinged up. That was a solid move.
Yet, at guard, the depth is paper-thin, unless Lomu can step into that void if either Vera-Tucker or right guard Mike Onwenu goes down. If not, they're in trouble.
On the plus side, they've added some nice pieces on offense, like receiver Romeo Doubs, and, hopefully, A.J. Brown will arrive via trade after June 1.
Other solid additions have arrived, both on offense and defense, especially All-Pro safety Kevin Byard III. Whether it's enough, we'll begin to see shortly. If not, expect an easy Seattle win and not a two-pointer as predicted by Davenport, and that may signal a long, hard beginning to the 2026 season.
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