The 2026 NFL schedules are out the schedulers didn't do the New England Patriots any favors. Three of their first four games are on the road, and all are against 2025 playoff teams. To make matters even more arduous, the Patriots begin the season in Seattle against the team that pounded them to submission in Super Bowl LX.
The pressure will be on Patriots star quarterback Drake Maye and company to perform from the get-go. One Bleacher Report analyst thinks the result will be the same.
The operative question will be, have (or will) the Patriots done enough during the 2026 offseason to narrow the gap between them and the Seahawks?
Since the offseason has been a mixed bag, predicting that the team that was so dominated in Super Bowl LX can actually improve enough to beat that team on the road in their home stadium is seriously questionable.
There are, however, positives for New England that could help narrow the gap. The team was outsacked 6-1 in the Super Bowl and also committed three offensive turnovers. This game will be decided in the trenches, and it's the offensive lines that will drive either a repeat performance by the Seahawks or a change in fortune for the Patriots.
Can the Patriots rise to the occasion and knock off the Seahawks?
The overarching question that will ultimately determine if the Patiots can overcome the Seahawks will be how much they've improved since Super Bowl LX. Have they made enough offseason additions, and can the healthy return of players who played injured in that game tilt the balance towards the Patriots?
Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport has highlighted 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. He likes the Seahawks.
"The Seahawks will likely be opening the season with a rookie running back in Jadarian Price as Zach Charbonnet rehabs an ACL tear, while 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."
Davenport finishes his point by declaring the Patriots will keep the game close, but it won't be enough, as the Seahawks will win 26-24 with a final field goal made by kicker Jason Myers.
After the blowout Super Bowl loss, a close game against the champions doesn't sound too bad. Yet, in the NFL, it's all about the Ws, and Mike Vrabel, Drake Maye, and company will be looking to turn the tables on Seattle in their first 2026 game. Are there factors that actually give them a chance to do just that?
Two top reasons are that their two most important players, who were both playing injured in the Super Bowl, will presumably be healthy. They are star quarterback Drake Maye and left tackle Will Campbell. If they are healthy, it's two big pluses.
Also, on the O-line, the addition of top left guard, Alijah Vera-Tucker, can play. But he missed all of 2025 with an injury.
The Patriots are also counting on 2025's left guard, Jared Wilson, to play center, a position he hasn't played in the NFL. That's risky business. Four of the 2025 starting offensive linemen are returning. It wasn't a very good O-line then, and why should Patriot Nation expect it to be much better now? They shouldn't. It's a big issue.
They did add a top tackle in the draft, left tackle Caleb Lomu, to slot in if either Campbell or right tackle Morgan Moses is dinged up, and that is a big positive for their depth.
In addition, the team added a nice No. 2 receiver in Romeo Doubs, an upgrade. Additionally, if the long-rumored trade of No. 1 receiver A. J. Brown materializes after June 1, the receiving corps will be much improved. That, along with a healthy Maye and the addition of third-round pick, tight end Eli Raridon, could give the Patriots' offense a huge boost.
But everything still rests on the shoulders of the O-line. If they can protect Maye the Patriots can win. But it's still a big "if".
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