The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots will take part in a Super Bowl rematch on Wednesday night in the first game of the NFL season. That much you know. What you don't is how these teams will look in a new season, with different players and a coaching staff down a few big names. As it turns out, when your team is good, it means you lose a few guys.
And we haven't even gotten to the injuries! The Patriots have more significant issues for Week 1 than Seattle, which could be the first step in the Hawks doubling down on their Super Bowl victory. New England made major additions this offseason, including wide receivers AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs, who will make their team debuts on Wednesday night.
New England Patriots injury report
Player | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|
Christian Barmore | DT | Active |
Ben Brown | C | OUT |
Efton Chism | WR | OUT |
TreVeyon Henderson | RB | OUT |
Erick Hunter | OLB | OUT |
Behren Morton | QB | Emergency 3rd QB |
Walter Rouse | T | OUT |
The most important injury for the Patriots is Henderson, and it's not all that close. As a Henderson fantasy manager last season, I can surely say that this Patriots running back is capable of great things. Unfortunately, he also cannot stay healthy. In his place, Rhamondre Stevenson will get the majority of the carries.
Expect the Pats to open up their offense early and often. Drake Maye hasn't had these receivers to throw to...ever, and that includes North Carolina. Whether that means Brown or Romeo Doubs steps up does not matter.
Seattle Seahawks injury report
Player | Position | Status |
|---|---|---|
AJ Barner | TE | Active |
Anthony Bradford | G | Active |
Nick Emmanwori | S | OUT |
Tory Horton | WR | OUT |
Josh Jones | G/T | Active |
Nick Kallerup | TE | OUT |
Jalen Milroe | QB | Emergency 3rd QB |
Mike Morris | DE | OUT |
Julian Neal | CB | Active |
Ty Okada | S | OUT |
Beau Stephens | G | OUT |
Emanuel Wilson | RB | Active |
The Seahawks have two safeties and one cornerback down. That is not what you want to hear, but Seattle also added to its roster in hopes of defending a Super Bowl title. Barner and Horton playing won't mean much to the average fan, but it will matter to the Seahawks. Swapping players in — however much experience they have — will provide starters who have played plenty without much rest...some rest. It's ideal to say the least.
It is worth noting that Seahawks rookie running back Jadarian Price will get a good workload in this game, as will George Holani, as they are also still without starting running back Zach Charbonnet. He's recovering from a knee injury that ended his season in 2025, and is beginning the season on Injured Reserve, hence why he's not listed on the injury report.
How to watch Patriots vs. Seahawks in the NFL Kickoff Game
- Date: Wednesday, Sept. 9
- Start Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: NBC
- Streaming: Peacock
The early Wednesday night kickoff for the 2026 NFL season is a bit odd, but welcome as that's one less day football fans have to wait for things to get back underway. The Super Bowl rematch will be on NBC with the Sunday Night Football crew in the building and on the call for the game.
That means that the Seahawks vs. Patriots matchup will be streaming exclusively on Peacock or through your cable streaming services. Either way, this is one you won't want to miss as you have to believe that a Week 1 matchup should be much closer than the Super Bowl drubbing that Seattle handed New England back in February.
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