Here Are The Patriots' Odds To Beat The Seahawks In The 2026 NFL Kickoff Game

FOXBOROUGH, MA — The New England Patriots kick off the 2026 NFL season with a Super Bowl LX rematch Wednesday night, and fans hope this second matchup has a different outcome than February’s.

The Patriots are slated to take on the defending champion Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field for a primetime Week 1 matchup.

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, New England is a 3.5-point underdog against Seattle. Traditionally, home teams are usually handicapped three points in matchups that are not considered one-sided toward one team. The Pats were only 4.5-point underdogs heading into the Super Bowl, but ultimately lost by 16 and were not able to get on the scoreboard until the fourth quarter. The reigning champion has a record of 13 wins and five losses since the NFL began the tradition of having the titleholder open the season. This year marks only the second time in which the opening game was a Super Bowl rematch, with the first being the Super Bowl 50 champion Denver Broncos narrowly defeating the Carolina Panthers a decade ago.

The Patriots have been unable to thwart Seattle since Malcolm Butler intercepted Russell Wilson at the goal line to seal Super Bowl XLIX more than 11 years ago. The two teams have rematched four times since and the birds have gotten the best of each battle. However, the Patriots are hoping their reloaded team with new additions such as wide receivers A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs will put an end to this losing streak.

One matchup within the game that is bound to get attention is that of Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez against Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Gonzalez was one of the Patriots’ best players in San Francisco, holding the all-pro pass catcher to only four receptions for 27 yards. In addition, Gonzalez also had a deep pass breakup on speedster Rasheed Shaheed in the second quarter. Pats Nation was worried about “Gonzo’s” future in Foxborough, as he and the team appeared to have been in a contract squabble dating back to the beginning of training camp in July. The deal, which made Gonzalez the new highest-paid corner in NFL history, was reported in the early morning Tuesday hours less than 48 hours before the season began. The lack of an extension could have led to Gonzalez holding out and being traded within one year.

Patriots’ fans expectations are high for the second year of the Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye era, and the opening game is a tough test to see what this year’s edition of the Patriots are made of.

How To Watch The Game

Kickoff: 8:15 p.m.

Network: NBC

Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub