The 2026 NFL regular season will begin with a Super Bowl rematch as the defending champion Seattle Seahawks prepare to host the New England Patriots on Wednesday night. The matchup marks the league’s official season opener. The two teams are entering the new season with significant roster changes and lofty expectations.
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 pm ET at Lumen Field in Seattle. Other Seahawks players who are inactive are: Seattle enters the season aiming to defend its Super Bowl 60 title after defeating New England last February. Patriots: TreVeyon Henderson, a second-year running back, will miss the Week 1 start due to an ankle injury, the team said on Tuesday.
The team has now officially confirmed that the standout second-year safety will not play when the Seahawks defense takes on quarterback Drake Maye and the revamped Patriots offense. However, the defending champions begin a new era after losing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs during free agency. The NFL season opener will be televised nationally on NBC. Fans without cable can stream the game through Peacock since it carries NBC’s live NFL coverage. Other streaming options include Fubo, DirecTV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and Sling TV, all of which offer NBC in most markets. Several of those services provide free trials for eligible new subscribers. The Patriots had nothing particularly unexpected going into the Super Bowl LX rematch, apart from Henderson. The other inactives include: The Patriots, however, arrive with an upgraded offense. The team has acquired star receiver A.J. Brown. The Patriots also secured one of their defensive cornerstones before kickoff by signing Pro Bowl cornerback Christian Gonzalez to a long-term contract extension. Seahawks: Nick Emmanwori and Ty Okada, the Seahawks’ starting safeties, will not be playing. Moreover, the Seahawks have new ownership following the sale of the franchise by the Allen family to an investment group led by the Khosla family. Brian Fleury begins his tenure as offensive coordinator as Seattle looks to build on last season’s championship campaign.
On Tuesday, Okada was declared out, and Emmanwori was still in doubt about playing.
