{"id":74678,"date":"2026-09-06T05:00:27","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T09:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=74678"},"modified":"2026-09-05T09:55:22","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T13:55:22","slug":"patriots-news-09-06-key-matchups-against-the-seahawks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2026\/09\/06\/patriots-news-09-06-key-matchups-against-the-seahawks\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots News 09-06: Key Matchups Against The Seahawks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Good morning, and a happy Sunday to all. Here is your Patriots news and notes for 09-06, and our first key matchup piece of the 2026 regular season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The preseason is over, the roster is set (for now), and the practice squad is now filled. We haven\u2019t seen the Patriots\u2019 starters on the field in a game situation yet this year (except in joint practices), but the Seahawks didn\u2019t play their starters in the preseason either.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, both teams may exhibit some rust in the early going.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ll get to those matchups below.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Quick Hitters For the Patriots and NFL News<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>NFL Release Regarding Player Safety: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NFL announced changes at today\u2019s league meeting in Atlanta, while player leadership was briefed and voted on the changes at a Board of Player Representatives meeting on Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Beginning this season, the NFL will place greater emphasis on five player health and safety rule violations:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hip Drop Tackle<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Horse Collar Tackle<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Launching<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hit on a Defenseless Player<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blindside Block<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Players who commit three offenses in any of these categories during a season will be suspended for one game. Players who commit only one violation will receive 50 percent of their fine back at the end of the season.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Forged in Foxborough: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots released <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=2wdM48RuhnM\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Episode 3 of the 2026 series<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with in-depth access as the team goes through training camp with new wide receiver A.J. Brown, quarterback Drake Maye, head coach Mike Vrabel, and a focus on some of the UDFAs that made the team, Tanner Arkin, Khalil Jacobs, and Channing Canada.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Video Board Whining: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots&#8217; video board use during opponents&#8217; field goal attempts was much ado about nothing. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed that the use of video boards was and remains legal.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nowhere was the whining louder than in Western NY. Perhaps that because Tom Brady owned Buffalo to the tune of 33-3. And one of those three losses was the final regular-season game, where Brady and the starters played only a half.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Patriots No Huddle Podcast:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Derek, Mike, and I were back on Thursday to talk about the Patriots\u2019 roster and other news on <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/patsfans.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PatsFans.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. We\u2019ll be back at it tonight at 7 p.m to break down the Seahawks game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can always check out our other podcasts on our YouTube channel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Please check it out. And be sure to like, share, and leave us a review.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Russ Francis\/Chuck Fairbanks:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The former Patriots tight end and head coach should be in the Patriots&#8217; team Hall of Fame, and the fact that Francis isn\u2019t is an absolute travesty. Francis and the Raiders\u2019 Dave Casper changed how teams used the tight end position.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We will continue to display this in our Sunday posts until it happens. Casper is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Francis\u2019 numbers stand up well against Casper\u2019s, yet he isn\u2019t even in the team\u2019s HOF.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Patriots, Seahawks Key Matchups Week 1 Of The Season<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Seattle Seahawks face the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\" title=\"New England Patriots at PatsFans.com\"><strong>New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> on September 9, 2026, at Lumen Field as part of Week 1 of the 2026 season. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. after Seattle unfurls their Super Bowl banner before the game.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seven months after Seattle dismantled New England 29-13 in Super Bowl LX, the two franchises open the 2026 season against each other at Lumen Field on Wednesday, September 9, a rare Week 1 rematch of the previous year&#8217;s title game, only the second time since 1970.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first game of the NFL season will be broadcast by NBC and can be seen in the Boston area on NBC 10 Boston. Jim Nantz will handle play-by-play duties with Cris Collinsworth as the color analyst. Melissa Stark and Kaylee Hartung will work from the sidelines.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The game is also carried on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/985thesportshub.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">98.5 The Sports Hub<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak, who will provide color analysis. The games are produced by Marc Cappello. If you are in the car, you can tune in to SiriusXM: 225 (NE) or 226 (Seattle).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, without any further ado, let&#8217;s quickly get to the matchups.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Patriots RBs vs. Seahawks Front Seven <\/b><b>\u2014<\/b> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edge Seattle<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots&#8217; running game should be a much improved unit this season. With Will Campbell and Jared Wilson getting a year in the strength and conditioning program, Wilson moving to his natural position at center, the addition of LG Alijah Vera-Tucker, and the addition of FB Reggie Gilliam, the running game should be much more consistent in 2026.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, Seattle\u2019s front seven dominated the Patriots in the Super Bowl, making the Patriots\u2019 offense one-dimensional, which played right into the Seahawks using their pressure packages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TreVeyon Henderson may not play in the opener, after suffering an ankle injury a few weeks ago in training camp. Rhamondre Stevenson and Corey Kiner may have to handle the duties, unless they activate Lan Larison off the PS.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The running game will aim to take some of the heat off of Drake Maye and control the clock. But this is a tough assignment on Week 1.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Patriots WRs vs. Seahawks Secondary <\/b><b>\u2014<\/b> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edge New England<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Drake Maye has been improving his chemistry with new WRs A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, who give him an excellent 1-2 punch along with Pop Douglas, Mack Hollins, and Kyle Williams, TE Hunter Henry, and Eli Raridon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a much better group than the one that faced Seattle in the Super Bowl. And Maye has gotten a firmer grasp of Josh McDaniels\u2019 offense in his second season in it. The key here is the protection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seattle has an outstanding front seven with interior rushers Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy II, and Jarran Reed, an interior trio widely regarded as one of the best units in football. Edge rushers DeMarcus Lawrence, Uchenna Nwosu, and Derick Hall are very effective.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The secondary is anchored by cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who signed a lucrative extension this offseason, plus safety Julian Love and emerging star Nick Emmanwori.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emmanwori was doing extra stretching and warming up with teammates Thursday, but is still considered \u201ciffy\u201d for Week 1 after arthroscopic ankle surgery in July. This will be worth watching if he can play on Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next up is the Seahawks\u2019 offense.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Seahawks RBs vs. NE Front Seven <\/b><b>\u2014<\/b> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edge New England<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seattle&#8217;s backfield is their biggest question mark entering Week 1. Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker III left in free agency for Kansas City, and Zach Charbonnet, the presumed lead back, opened the season on the physically-unable-to-perform list.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That likely hands early-season carries to rookie first-round pick Jadarian Price and returnee George Holani, with veteran depth signee Emanuel Wilson also in the mix. It&#8217;s a group with far less proven juice than the one that powered Seattle&#8217;s title run. Price hasn\u2019t started a game since 2021 when he was in high school.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots, with Milton Williams and Christian Barmore, will lean heavily on Cory Durden as their dedicated run stuffer this season. During the joint practices this summer, they struggled at times.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I think Price is going to be an excellent pro, but it may be a lot to ask of him to get his first NFL carries this week to take up the slack for Walker.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Seahawks WRs vs. NE Secondary <\/b><b>\u2014<\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Edge Seattle<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sam Darnold has Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who was the most prolific WR in the league last season; JSN had 1,793 yards and 10 TDs, and Seattle moves him all over the formation, and he will draw Christian Gonzalez on most downs. But the Patriots must account for him on every down.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">JSN is flanked by Cooper Kupp and a re-signed Rashid Shaheed, and tight end AJ Barner, giving Seattle one of the deeper receiving rooms in the league even after losing Walker in free agency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots&#8217; starting secondary is loaded. Christian Gonzalez has developed into one of the league&#8217;s premier cornerbacks, pairing with Carlton Davis III and slot corner Marcus Jones to form what analysts have called a top-tier group, further boosted by the addition of veteran safety Kevin Byard alongside rising second-year safety Craig Woodson.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, New England&#8217;s Achilles&#8217; heel could be the pass rush. Dre&#8217;Mont Jones and Elijah Ponder remain open question marks, especially with Landry working back from a late-season injury, opening the season on PUP, and second-round pick Gabe Jacas unproven.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Special Teams <\/b><b>\u2014<\/b> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edge Seattle<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots and Seahawks\u2019 special teams are really matched up well here. Both are good in the kicking game, have excellent punt returners, and very good coverage units.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But in the kickoff return game, Seattle has the edge with Rashid Shaheed returning both kicks and punts. Especially since the Patriots\u2019 top coverage player, Brendan Schooler, remains on NFI.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots&#8217; kickoff return unit hasn\u2019t truly settled on a returner yet.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Prediction:\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots and Seahawks are both very well-coached teams, and this matchup promises (on paper) to be a much closer game than the Super Bowl.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keys to the Game from a Patriots\u2019 perspective:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Drake Maye Running Has To Get The Ball Out Fast: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Maye has to counter Seattle\u2019s pass rush with the quick passing game. This means players like Brown, Doubs, Douglas, and Williams have to get separation quickly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Control the Clock and Silence the 12s:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Seattle\u2019s Lumen Field means facing an elite crowd noise advantage. The best way to keep them quiet is to control the clock by mixing up running and passing games and using play-action to take a few shots downfield.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Pressure Sam Darnold and Avoid Repetitive Blitzes: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The key is to bring pressure on Sam Darnold and force him into mistakes. But if they rely too heavily on blitzes to do that, they will get burned, something that happened too often in the preseason.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The marquee names such as JSN, A.J. Brown, Witherspoon, and Gonzalez will dominate the talk prior to the game, but the X-Factors for each team, Shaheed for the Seahawks and Douglas for the Patriots, may end up being the reason for the team that comes out on top.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Douglas has had two outstanding summers in a row, but he hasn\u2019t translated that into on-field success yet. Week 1 would be a prime time to start.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since 2004, 21 defending champs have played in the Week 1 opener and gone 16-5. So, history is against the Patriots pulling off an upset; a Madden simulation actually has the Patriots winning on a last-minute FG. They\u2019ll come close.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Seahawks 24-23<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>_____________<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Mike Vrabel On If Playing Seattle In The SB Aids in Game Prep:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI mean, I don\u2019t think that it\u2014 I mean, as far as the players that they\u2019ve had and the play style, maybe. I mean, we\u2019ll have to block them better. We\u2019ll have to be able to run the football better. We\u2019re going to have to be able to stop the run better. I mean, there\u2019s a lot of things that we\u2019re going to have to do better based on the personnel that they have.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThey may do some of the same things. They may change. We\u2019ll have to be ready for a lot of those. But I mean, I think that the players are there, the ones that contributed heavily and that are there [are] really good players that we\u2019re going to have to understand their play style and what they do and how they rush and how they block.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAnd I think that\u2019s been about the only thing that you can really take away from it and just be ready for the style that we think that they may run offensively and defensively.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">_______________<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Somebody asked me what success looks like, and I said, \u2018Yeah, you can judge it by wins and losses during the season, but success for me in the offseason is going to be that the players believe in what we\u2019re doing, and they believe in the message, they believe in the teaching, and they believe in the connections that we\u2019re making<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u2019\u201d \u2014 Mike Vrabel<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at<\/span><\/i> <a href=\"mailto:stevebpatsfans@gmail.com\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Listen to our<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/patsfans.com\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PatsFans.com<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/patriots-no-huddle-podcast\/id1810743829\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Patriots No Huddle <\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">podcasts on Apple and YouTube as Derek Havens, Mike D\u2019Abate, and I discuss the latest Patriots news and game analysis<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Previewing the Patriots vs. Seahawks Week 1 matchup for the 2026 season, this article breaks down key player battles and offers a game prediction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":65629,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_pfeai_meta_description":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[24883,23494,11,10,23322],"tags":[2210,23269,1007,24294,23466,24454,24899,23610,256,24901,664,70,8,24135,24898,23603,23371,22588,23029,1782,24219,319,24117,13,24900],"class_list":["post-74678","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-patriots-season","category-new-england-patriots","category-patriots-commentary","category-patriots-news","category-seattle-seahawks","tag-a-j-brown","tag-christian-gonzalez","tag-chuck-fairbanks","tag-devon-witherspoon","tag-drake-maye","tag-forged-in-foxborough","tag-hip-drop-tackle","tag-jaxon-smith-njigba","tag-josh-mcdaniels","tag-lumen-field","tag-mike-vrabel","tag-nfl","tag-patriots","tag-patriots-no-huddle-podcast","tag-player-safety","tag-pop-douglas","tag-rashid-shaheed","tag-rhamondre-stevenson","tag-russ-francis","tag-sam-darnold","tag-seahawks","tag-special-teams","tag-super-bowl-lx","tag-tom-brady","tag-week-1-matchups"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.3 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - 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