The Patriots don't get a chance to erase Super Bowl LX on Wednesday night. They do get a chance to make sure the 2026 season doesn't start with another painful reminder of how that game ended.

Seven months after Seattle beat New England 29-13, the Patriots will walk into Lumen Field while the Seahawks celebrate their championship. The NFL decided to turn the rematch into an unusual Wednesday night opener, giving this game an extra layer of weirdness.

It's the first Week 1 Super Bowl rematch since Denver and Carolina met in 2016, and only the third in league history. The Patriots and Seahawks aren't exactly traditional rivals, but they did split two Super Bowls.

Add Drake Maye facing Sam Darnold again, Jaxon Smith-Njigba coming off a huge season, A.J. Brown making his Patriots debut, and a packed Lumen Field, and this feels like much more than a normal season opener.

New England Can't Let Seattle Own The Situation Again

The Super Bowl wasn’t a blowout right away, which almost made it more frustrating.

New England’s defense held Seattle to one touchdown through three quarters and gave the offense plenty of chances to make it a game. The problem was that the Patriots couldn't stay on the field. They punted on all five meaningful first-half possessions, managed just four first downs before halftime, and somehow got all the way to the fourth quarter without scoring.

Mike Macdonald’s defense finished with six sacks, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery. Seattle kept Maye guessing with defensive-back pressures and simulated rushes, then let their pass rush take over whenever New England fell behind the sticks. Maye finished with 295 yards and two touchdowns, but only 48 of those passing yards came in the first half.

The first key Wednesday is simple: give Maye a game he can actually play.

New England added Alijah Vera-Tucker, moved Jared Wilson back to center, and drafted tackle Caleb Lomu after allowing 48 sacks last season. Maye also has another year in Josh McDaniels’ system and more freedom to change plays at the line.

That should help, although making those checks inside Lumen Field will be a different story. Maye's already said the receivers may not always hear him, so the silent count and pre-snap communication will matter a lot.

The Patriots need to run well enough and hit enough quick throws to avoid living in obvious passing situations. TreVeyon Henderson’s ankle injury makes that tougher after he missed Sunday’s practice, which could mean a heavier workload for Rhamondre Stevenson.

If New England keeps facing second-and-11 and third-and-8, Seattle will happily bring back the same stuff that wrecked the Patriots in February. The upgrades are real, but they only matter if New England can keep the whole playbook open.

Seattle’s New Secondary Gets No Warm-Up

Seattle still has the core of the defense that allowed the fewest points in the league last season. Devon Witherspoon, Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, Ernest Jones IV, and Julian Love are all back, and Mike Macdonald still knows how to make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.

But Seattle did lose some important pieces.

Riq Woolen left for Philadelphia, Coby Bryant signed with Chicago, and Boye Mafe is in Cincinnati. That’s an outside corner, a versatile safety, and a key pass rusher gone from the rotation. The Seahawks now have Witherspoon and Josh Jobe starting at corner, with Nehemiah Pritchett and rookies Julian Neal and Avery Smith behind them.

The safety situation could get dicey, too. Ty Okada, the expected replacement for Bryant, missed Sunday’s practice with a hamstring injury, while Nick Emmanwori was limited as he works his way back from ankle surgery. Seattle entered the week with only three safeties on their active roster.

That’s worth watching against Drake Maye, especially because New England completely revamped their receiver room.

A.J. Brown's the obvious headline after catching 78 passes for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in Philadelphia last season. Romeo Doubs brings another legitimate option after posting 724 yards and six scores in Green Bay. Add DeMario Douglas and Hunter Henry, and this group is a lot more dangerous than the one Seattle shut down in February.

Brown's the matchup Seattle didn’t have to worry about in the Super Bowl. He can beat press coverage, turn a simple slant into a huge gain, and make tough catches even when the coverage is good. If the Seahawks send extra help his way, Doubs and Henry should have more room to work.

New England doesn’t need Brown to catch 12 passes for 180 yards. They just need him to make Seattle think twice. One early deep ball or big catch-and-run could be enough to keep the Seahawks from constantly sending extra pressure at Maye.

The Biggest Difference May Be Who's Gone

Kenneth Walker III was the best player on the field in Super Bowl LX, running for 135 yards while Seattle’s offense leaned on him through a shaky night from Sam Darnold.

He’ll watch this rematch from Kansas City.

Seattle also won’t have Zach Charbonnet, who’s starting the season on the physically unable to perform list after tearing his ACL. That leaves George Holani, Emanuel Wilson, and first-round rookie Jadarian Price to carry the load. Price hasn’t even played a preseason snap yet, so, yeah, this backfield is a bit of a question mark.

The Seahawks also have a new offensive coordinator after Klint Kubiak left for the Raiders. Brian Fleury comes from the same Shanahan coaching tree and should keep plenty of the system intact, but replacing Walker’s production won’t be so simple.

That could put more pressure on Darnold, which is exactly what New England wants. Christian Gonzalez should make Jaxon Smith-Njigba work after his monster 1,793-yard season.

I still lean Seattle in Week 1. The Seahawks’ defense has more continuity, and asking New England’s new-look passing game to sort through Mike Macdonald’s disguises in a loud banner-night crowd is a pretty nasty opening act.

Still, this shouldn’t look anything like February’s offensive disaster. A.J. Brown gives Drake Maye a weapon he didn’t have in the Super Bowl and Walker won’t be there to bail Darnold out if things get messy.

The Patriots and Seahawks kick off Wednesday, September 9 at 8:20 p.m. ET. The game will air on NBC and Peacock.

All stats courtesy of NFL Pro.

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