Report says Seahawks to open vs Patriots in Super Bowl rematch

It’ll reportedly be a Super Bowl rematch right out of the gates for the Seattle Seahawks.

According to a report from NFL insider Jordan Schultz on Wednesday afternoon, the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks will kick off the 2026 NFL season against the New England Patriots on Wednesday, Sept. 9, at Lumen Field.

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The NFL has yet to officially announce the Seahawks’ opening matchup. The league’s full 2026 schedule reveal is on Thursday night.

As announced earlier this spring, the Seahawks’ Sept. 9 opener is set for 5:20 p.m. and will be broadcast on NBC.

The season-opening rematch would come almost exactly seven months after the Seahawks and their “Dark Side” defense dismantled the Patriots for a 29-13 triumph in Super Bowl 60 in Santa Clara, California.

It would mark the first time since 2016 – when the Denver Broncos faced the Carolina Panthers – that the NFL’s season-opening kickoff game featured a rematch from the previous season’s Super Bowl. The Broncos beat the Panthers in both of those matchups, winning the Super Bowl 24-10 and the ensuing season opener 21-20.

After the Seahawks steamrolled the Broncos for their first Super Bowl title in February 2014, they kicked off the following NFL season with a 36-16 rout of the Green Bay Packers on the opening Thursday of Week 1. The Seahawks then hosted the Broncos in a Super Bowl rematch in Week 3, prevailing for a 26-20 overtime victory.

The Patriots have been among four potential opponents still in play to face Seattle in Week 1, along with the Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals. Seattle’s other five home opponents for 2026 – the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs – were off the table due to other announced Week 1 matchups.

The defending Super Bowl champions typically kick off the NFL season on the Thursday night of Week 1. However, this year’s opening game was moved to Wednesday night due to the Rams and 49ers playing Thursday, Sept. 10, in Melbourne, Australia, in the league’s first-ever game Down Under. The Seahawks’ opener will be just the fifth NFL game since 1950 to be played on a Wednesday.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

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• Reporter explains why Seattle Seahawks sale could mean a new stadium

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