In the days leading up to the release of the 2026 season schedule, it has been widely speculated that the New England Patriots would head to Seattle to take on the Seahawks in a Super Bowl rematch in Week 1.
That has now been confirmed by insider Jordan Schultz, as the league continues the tradition of repeating the Super Bowl matchup in the opening game the following year. And while that's fine and not entirely unexpected, it's not exactly what most Patriots fans were hoping for.
It is a good opportunity to seek revenge after getting blown out of the championship game back in February, but their chances of accomplishing that would have been far better if the game had taken place later in the season. Why? Because, as we know from Bill Belichick, the first month of the season is almost like an extension of the preseason, so the Patriots are not playing their best football just yet.
The same could be said about the Seahawks, but they'll be riding on a high all night from watching another banner hoisted in their stadium and an excited stadium full of fans ready to disrupt the Patriots' game plan in any way that they can.
That's a recipe for disaster.
NFL set to test Patriots early with Super Bowl rematch set to kick off 2026
Knowing that the Seahawks were on this year's docket, it's unsurprising that they'll be the first stop on their schedule, particularly after how the Super Bowl went down. They were going to be a tough opponent no matter what, especially since it's in Seattle, and that is a boisterous crowd every week.
However, if it were up to New England, this would be a game that takes place in October or later, preferably later, when the team has settled in and figured out who they are for the season, and that won't be the case in Week 1.
Maybe that lowers their chances of starting the season 1-0, or maybe the unpreparedness the Patriots will feel will also be lingering within the Seahawks, too.
Well before the season begins, that's something fans will be hoping for, or the team might have no chance of starting the season with a win.
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