Seahawks open 2026 schedule with Super Bowl rematch against Patriots

The Seahawks will start 2026 under the brightest possible lights: a home opener against the Patriots, a Super Bowl LX rematch that gives Seattle an immediate measuring stick after a long offseason. The game is more than a nostalgic nod to past title matchups. It is the league’s annual kickoff game, only the third Super Bowl rematch ever played on Kickoff Weekend, and it comes with Seattle holding an 11-8 edge in the regular-season series and wins in the last four meetings.

The NFL released its 18-week, 272-game schedule on Thursday, laying out a season that opens Wednesday, Sept. 9, in Seattle and closes with 16 division games on Saturday, Jan. 9, and Sunday, Jan. 10. Seattle’s opener against New England is set for 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC at Lumen Field, while the league’s opening week also stretches to Melbourne, Australia, where the Rams and 49ers will meet on Thursday, Sept. 10. That split-stage rollout underscores how the first week will be shaped by marquee windows, not just one game in one market.

Seattle’s own schedule is built around pressure points. The Seahawks will play 10 games against 2025 playoff teams and have a franchise-record six primetime games, including five at Lumen Field. The team also has a Week 11 bye, giving the middle of the season clear hinge points: recover before the late push, or spend November and December chasing the standings. Monday Night Football brings the Bears to Seattle on Nov. 2 and the Cowboys on Dec. 7, and the Seahawks have an NFL-best 31-13 record on Mondays.

The travel and timing burden is just as important as the opponents. Seattle has two 10 a.m. PT kickoffs in 2026, a window in which the Seahawks are 24-5 since 2018, and a standalone Saturday afternoon game at Philadelphia on Dec. 19 before the holiday stretch. That stretch peaks on Christmas Day, when Seattle hosts the Rams on Friday night for the franchise’s first-ever game on Dec. 25. The Seahawks also will see the Chargers in Seattle for the first time since 2018, visit the Broncos in Denver for the first time since 2018, and play their first regular-season game in Las Vegas in Week 10.

For Seattle, the schedule’s defining question is not whether the rematch with New England carries history. It is whether a home-heavy primetime slate, a late bye, and a December calendar loaded with playoff teams can keep the Seahawks positioned for another run when the games matter most.